


Country Bumpkins and City Slickers

by AristoMercu



Series: Breaking The Chains [2]
Category: Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: 10 years after P4, Akechi's not dead, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Comedy, Crossover, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Gods, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Jealousy, Metaphysical Discussions, Metaverse, Old generation, Persona 4 Golden - Freeform, Persona 4 Golden only, Religion, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Romance, Shadows (Persona 4), Shadows(Persona 5), Spoilers, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team Fluff, Too Much Meat, hotsprings, massive spoilers, new generation, velvet room arguments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-23 05:00:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11395842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AristoMercu/pseuds/AristoMercu
Summary: Taking an extended road trip to avoid dropping Akira home, the Phantom Thieves make a pit stop at a small country town in the middle of nowhere. Checking in at the famous Amagi Inn, they meet certain individuals around the town that strikes them as familiar, but they know they've never met. Receiving the same stares back, what would happen when a team of detectives meet a team of thieves, especially when for the first time, gods aren't butting in?Chaos. And lots of meat eating competitions.(Spin off of "The World Is Ours," but you don't need to read it to understand what's going on here.)OFF HIATUS SORT OF MAYBE





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So before we start this story, I should list some things here. This ties in with my first and main story, "The World Is Ours." It isn't far enough along to really connect with this one though, except my OC is part of the group, so no worries!
> 
> -The OC is named Kimisawa Airi, her Persona is Jeanne (based on Jeanne De Valois Saint Remy), she's light based, and is the romantic partner for Akira.  
> -Akechi survived and joined the team officially after Shido's Palace.  
> -In my story, Akira is from Mishima, Japan which is about 3 hours away from Tokyo by car. It's near the eastern coastline and is a bit bigger than Inaba. It's more well known due to being a pitstop between Kyoto and Tokyo and so is a richer town.  
> -I'm making P5 10 years after P4. Due to the advancements in technology, slang, etc, it would make more sense if the P4 group were more seasoned adults for this. I know P5 hints that Rise is like 21, but I don't feel like 5 years is enough to create the relationships I want between predecessors and successors. I also want to explore the darker side of having your journey come to a close, which I'll be doing with Yu a lot.  
> -Yu here is a lot darker than ingame or in the spin offs. I never played those so I can't accurately judge his personality, and in P4G he was basically a mannequin. This is based off of his hard boiled costume.  
> -This will be short, only for a couple of chapters because I don't want to evolve this into a bigger story. Think of it like DLC I guess? But then again I can't predict how this will go, so it could turn out longer.
> 
> One last thing is that I'm still a new writer. I only started about two months ago, so please be gentle with me!
> 
> PERSONA 5 is a copyrighted product of the company ATLUS. I don't own anything except for my OC, Kimisawa Airi. This is written for fun and not for monetary gain.

"So, where should we go from here?" Ryuji asked while leaning against the front seats.

They were on the freeway, kilometers away from Tokyo. It had been hours since they set off on their way to Mishima in their large white van, but Akira was reluctant to return home and face his parents again. Wanting to give their leader one last good memory, they decided to take a detour. Having refilled their tank at a gas station with the attendant giving them strange looks for having no adults, they set off again with no real destination in mind.

"Um..." Ann hummed, scrolling the GPS on her phone. "It's getting kinda late, yeah?"

The group glanced through the windows to see the sun set within the horizon, casting orange rays across the rice paddies of the countryside. They _had_ been driving for a while now, long passing Mishima by taking another route to go further inland.

"Why don't we find a place to stop for the night?" Airi suggested, adjusting under the weight of Akira's head resting on her shoulder. He had fallen asleep about an hour ago after doing his stupid stunt of standing up through the skylight while the van was going 60k/h. Curled up in his lap was Morgana, snoring quietly as the engine lulled it to sleep. "Makoto's been driving for a while now, and we're all probably tired."

Makoto nodded tiredly, eyes never leaving the road. "Yes, please. Is there anything close by?"

Humming, Futaba typed away on her laptop, crouching in the backseat. "...Um, there's a small town about ten kilometers away called Inaba. Kind of middle of nowhere. There's supposedly a famous inn there called "The Amagi Inn." I can do an online reservation right now?" 

Haru perked up next to the hacker. "Oh, I know that place! They're famous for their hotsprings and hospitality!" She smiled cheerfully. "I remember spending a night there once on a business trip with my father. He didn't particularly seemed like he was impressed, but he wasn't complaining either." 

"A hotsprings, hm..?" Yusuke grasped his chin thoughtfully, leaning against his seat on the other side of Futaba. "It would certainly be a treat. I don't seem to recall if we ever had an official celebration after defeating Yaldabaoth." 

"Well, not with Akira..." Airi smiled forlornly. He was incarcerated at the time and the party wasn't as lively as it would've been with him there. "Then it's settled. Futaba?"

"Gotcha!" She grinned, the computer keys clacking only a decibel higher than the engine. "One suite, coming right up!" 

Turning around in his seat, wincing when Akira unconsciously smacked him in the arm, Ryuji gave the hacker an odd look. "How're you gettin' wifi out here? We're in the boonies."

"Hehe..." Futaba snickered, holding up a red square object that was connected to her laptop via a USB cord. "I got an egg, of course. Can't leave home without it."

"Don't hack us a room, OK?" Makoto sighed, taking the exit coming up on the right. "We do have enough money to pay." 

Futaba pouted. "Of course I won't! It's not like this inn has a system advanced enough for that. As far as online check-ins, they're pretty behind on the times." Tapping against the keyboard a few more times, she ended with the enter key. "...Aaand done! I got us a suite for tonight, and it comes with free use of the hot springs!" She grinned victoriously. 

"All right!" Ann cheered loudly, waking Akira up with a grunt. "It'll be nice to wash off the sand from earlier!"

"Huh...?" Akira groaned, blinking his eyes as he woke up. "What's happening?" 

"Well good morning, sleeping beauty." Ryuji teased. "It's been a million years since you fell asleep, and humanity is now ruled by robots!"

Yawning, the leader snuggled deeper into his girlfriend's shoulder and inhaled her calm scent. "'Kay..."

Airi gently shook him off. "Don't fall back asleep," She advised softly. "We're almost at our destination for the night."

He grumbled but acquiesced. He sat up in his seat and ruffled his hair, messing up his curls even more than usual. "We're not in Mishima..."

His shifting woke Morgana up in his lap, and the feline yawned, stretching out his back. "Where are we..?"

Slowing the van down as they entered the town, Makoto gripped the wheel with her gloved hands, turning at the corner as Ann's GPS dictated. "We're in Inaba right now. We should be at the inn in a few minutes." 

A honk pierced through the quiet night, and they glanced back at the black car that had been tailing them for several hours. "Oh, right." Airi sweatdropped. "Did any of us tell Akechi that we were stopping?" 

"Ah shit." Ryuji sighed, taking his phone out to call the detective. "I'll do it." 

"Why is he driving alone again..?" Akira yawned, leaning against his girlfriend again. "We coulda squeezed him in here."

"I believe he said, and I quote," Yusuke began, crossing his arms in his thin striped sports jacket. "'I wouldn't want to be stuck in a car with you idiots or else I might catch your stupidity. I'll drive my own car, and none of you better get in with me.'" 

"How mean of Akechi-kun." Haru frowned softly. "He's part of the group now, but he's so cold with us still."

"Well..." Ann winced. "We can't blame him. We _did_ ruin all his plans and almost got him killed."

Morgana snorted. "He should be groveling at our feet for saving him after what he had done to us." He began grooming a paw. "He was lucky that mom gave him that chance or else he'd have disappeared into the Metaverse." 

Airi gave him a disapproving frown, lightly flicking his forehead. "None of that, Morgana. You know he's been trying to get better by going to the therapist, and he's still our teammate and friend." 

Makoto pursed her lips as she slowly parked into the inn's mostly empty parking lot. "Yes, we should be supporting him. We all know he does like us, he just doesn't want to show it." 

Futaba snickered, closing her laptop with a snap. "What a Tsun-Tsun."

The feline sighed, getting up on all fours. "Yes, yes..." He darted through the small opening as Ryuji slid the door on his side open and landed on the cement. "Ahh! Fresh air!" He purred, shaking his body.

The group slowly got out of the van, groaning as they stretched after being cramped in such a small space for so long. The Inn in front of them was a traditional Japanese Inn, equipped with a koi pond in the front lawn. The building was large with several floors, made from traditional wood and plaster from generations ago, only updated to keep up with the times. Behind the building was steam slowly rising up into the night sky, most likely where the hot springs were.

They stopped as the other car slowly pulled up, parking next to them. With a click, the driver's door opened, revealing Akechi wearing a frown. "It would've been courteous of you guys if you informed me earlier." 

Airi smiled apologetically. "Sorry, we only decided it about ten minutes ago on the road. How was the drive for you?"

He sighed sharply, cracking his neck. "It was fine. Let's just go in already. Driving for so long is ruining my back." 

Chatting with each other, the group of thieves walked into the inn, not knowing they were about to encounter another group.

One that had achieved a similar goal almost a decade ago.

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

Taking another drag of his cigarette, Yu slowly inhaled the carcinogens, filling his lungs with the calming smoke.

It was another slow night in Inaba, the moon shining brightly in the star filled sky. Ever since he decided to stay in the town, he threw himself into his schoolwork, graduating with a degree and immediately entering the Police Force. He was now one of the top detectives in the town, only below his uncle.

Dojima Ryotaro was getting on in the years, and though he didn't show it, he was glad to have another trustworthy detective at his side again. He never took on another partner after Adachi confessed to his crimes, preferring to work alone in case another partner decided he was going to be a murdering psychopath again.

Chie was also a police officer, his assistant of all things. She had stood by her promise to keep on protecting what was precious to her, and that was this town and its people. She was out on a run right now in fact, making sure all the citizens were safe. No longer screaming about Kung-fu and eating meat, now she was only excitedly talking about kung-fu and eating meat. They would have a dinner at Aiya's at least once a month if everyone could make it. She insisted.

Yosuke had taken over as Head Manager at Junes, making sure the mega store ran as smoothly as he could possibly make it. He counted inventory, hired local workers, and even made sure to give back to the town. It had been years, but he knew that his family ruined Inaba's markets and he always felt guilty about it. Saki had secretly hated him for it as well, and it encouraged him to love this town as much as she had and more. The townsfolk no longer talked bad about his business, finally accepting that June's is here for good, and he made sure to source all produce locally to keep up the good relationship.

Now that the fiasco with Izanami-no-Okami was done, Teddie had stayed in the human world, opting to help out at June's. He was officially this branch's mascot, and his bear costume always brought smiles to children. Nanako loved him dearly, and always made sure to chat whenever she was at June's. (Which was every day.)

Yukiko stayed in Inaba, and after several jobs, finally took over as the manager of The Amagi Inn. She had grown up into a graceful young woman, a Yamato Nadeshiko, and greeted her guests with a mature and calm smile every time. She had improved the Inn, upgraded the technology, and even set up an online site for check-ins. She hoped more and more people would travel to her business, and fall in love with Inaba just as she had done so.

Rise was now a big star in Japan, doing both modeling and singing. She had technically moved out to Tokyo for work, but had promised the group that her Marukyu Tofu shop was her real home as it was with them. Her grandmother was getting on in years as well, and she came back frequently to help out.

Her health declining over the years, Kanji decided to inherit the textile shop from his mother, making sure to take care of her as much as he could. His skills as a doll craftsmen grew and soon the entire town was enamored with his creations. Every child had at least one doll from his shop, and every family made sure that their fabrics would come from him first and foremost. He was so happy that everyone accepted his hobby that he began to mellow out, not letting awkward comments get to him like they used to back when they were in high school.

The busiest person would be Naoto. Having lent her skills to every force in Japan, she traveled all over the country to help out with cases. The last case had been with those Phantom Thieves, chaining her to Tokyo for months. Kanji had been kind of depressed during that time, and Yu honestly still didn't know what their relationship was, even after ten years.

The Phantom Thieves.

That was a name that brought pride and envy inside of him. Pride that there were other people, kids now, who were defending humans with all their strength against corrupt gods just like they had. They risked their lives to change the hearts of so many corrupted people, and helped countless victims with their powers.

He even remembered that artist girl in high school who said she was going to go to the big city to showcase her artworks. She never did come back, and he found out only a couple months ago that she became one of the apprentices of Madarame Ichiryusai. The man who took in young artists to mentor them, only to steal their artworks and livelihood.

He was saddened to hear she was found dead in an alley after being kicked out of her Sensei's house, having wandered into the seedy parts of Tokyo looking for a job to buy a train ticket home. She could've been something, and that man stole her life from her. It was only thanks to The Phantom Thieves that she and the other apprentices had been avenged.

Envy, because he wished he could relive those days where he would go into the TV with his friends. Utilizing his Personas to fight Shadows, and saving people before they were killed. After defeating Izanami-no-Okami, who was now his longtime girlfriend Mariko, the Midnight Channel stopped working.

She had taken back that power to prevent other people from falling into the Shadow world, and worked as a weather reporter. Even if she did re-open the tunnel, she admitted that only Igor could control Personas, and since he had fulfilled his contract with the long nosed man, there was no more need of him to enter that world.

They were no longer needed.

He craved that excitement again, the days when his blood would boil with excitement and adrenaline under his skin as he struck down his enemies with his blade. The kendo room at the Police Station was a pale substitute, and he had already beaten his fellow officers at least twice each. Him and Chie had always tied, his taijutsu not being his forte, but even _that_ got boring after the 20th time.

When that incident last year during December was broadcast on all the channels, he tried to reach Naoto, frantically calling about getting the team together and saving the people from the corrupt god. By the time Naoto got onto the scene however, The Phantom Thieves had the support of the entire nation, _the world_. He couldn't believe his eyes when the screen showed one of the members, the leader he assumed, summon a giant six winged demon to shoot down the god.

It was awe-inspiring.

He exhaled, letting the smoke escape his lips. He knew it was pointless to keep thinking back on the past, but he knew he wasn't the only one. Every time the Investigation Team got together (that's what they called themselves), they all spoke about how much they wished they could get back into the action.

Maybe one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Inaba is based off of Fuefuki, which is pretty inland and so would be farther away from the ocean and Mishima.  
> -An egg is a portable wifi hotspot, commonly used in Japan because almost all the wifi ports are locked with passwords. You usually have to pay a fee per month, but it's honestly super worth it to invest in one if you travel a lot.  
> -Tsun-Tsun refers to Tsundere, a character trait where someone denies they have affections when it's obvious they do. "It's not like I like you, b-baka!"  
> -Yamato Nadeshiko is a term for Japanese women who represent the classic style of beauty. They usually have long straight black hair, pale skin, soft voices, and courtly manners.  
> -Artist girl is the girl on the first floor in front of the counselor's room in Yasogami High.  
> -Taijutsu is hand to hand combat, and could refer to kung fu, muay thai, karate, tae kwon do, etc.
> 
> SO HOW IS IT? Let me know if you like where this is going so far! Wrote this up in about two hours which isn't bad.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's weird to be writing this fic because I'm actually not planning it ahead like i do with "The World Is Ours." That fic is several chapters ahead of what is currently posted.  
> Hopefully the quality of this one doesn't suffer...

Sliding the front door open, they were greeted with polished wooden floors and thin shoji doors, the inn giving off even more of a traditional feeling inside. There were a couple of bamboo plants to their left of the entrance, and to their right was a vending machine for drinks, a straw waste basket next to it. The walls were covered in a light yellow and dark gold leaf wallpaper, giving off a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

There was only one person working at the desk this late in the evening, and they stopped, staring in surprise.

It was a beautiful young woman in her twenties, her straight black hair shining that healthy glow all women aim to achieve. Her skin was as soft as moon light, and her dark red kimono complimented her slim figure gracefully. Dark eyes surrounded by thick lashes looked up from the computer and she perked up, her small red lips spreading into a smile. "Welcome to The Amagi Inn. My name is Yukiko." She bowed. "Do you have a reservation?"

Ryuji let out a low whistle, looking up and down at their host. "Daaamn...I didn't know country girls were so pretty."

Rolling her eyes, Ann smacked the back of his head. "Keep your eyes to yourself! We're only here for a night, remember?" She gave the older woman an apologetic smile. "Sorry for him, he doesn't know how to control his mouth sometimes." 

Yukiko chuckled quietly, covering her mouth daintily with a sleeve. "Don't worry, I'm rather used to that. Now then, do you have a reservation?"

Airi nodded, walking up to the counter. "Yes, we reserved a room a couple minutes ago online."

She nodded, looking back down at her computer. "Name, please?"

Blinking, she looked at Futaba. "Who's name did you use anyway?"

The hacker gave her a innocent grin, clasping her hands behind her. "Yours. I was gonna put it under Haru but her account's monitored..."

Airi sighed, turning back to the host. "Kimisawa Airi. We reserved for nine persons." 

Yukiko nodded. "One moment, please..." She checked the inn's database, seeing the new reservation made ten minutes ago, just as she was told. "I see it. One large suite. You're paying by card?"

"Uh, if it's not too much trouble..." Airi smiled apologetically, taking out the thin piece of plastic from her wallet. "I know the countryside doesn't really use cards." 

The inn hostess smiled, accepting the card. "It's no problem. We pride ourselves on accommodating our guests as much as we can. It will take me a couple of minutes though, we don't use the credit machine often." She gestured to the right where a sitting area was situated, empty of any guests or employees. "You're welcome to take a seat while I process this. I'll let you know once I've finished." She bowed before moving to the side where a bulky verification machine was. 

The group of teenagers moved to the large sitting room, taking a seat on the yellow couches. It seemed this part of the inn didn't require them to remove their shoes yet, so they were able to relax in their own clothes. Yusuke immediately moved to the large window, observing the moon shining brightly in the night sky. He took out his sketchbook and began drawing, absorbed in the image.

Taking a seat, Akira subtly unzipped his bag, letting Morgana see a bit of the outside.

"Hey, be careful." Futaba warned as she booted up her laptop. "This inn didn't say they have a pet policy, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Akechi rolled his eyes, crossing his legs. "Imagine us getting kicked out of the only place we could stop for the night over something like this." He took out his phone, idly browsing his emails.

"Well, so sorry for not turning human!" Morgana grumbled quietly, hunching forward in his bag. "I'll have to talk with my master about this..." 

Haru perked up as she sat with her hands on her lap. "Oh, you mean the large nosed man we met inside that Velvet Room? He was certainly intimidating."

Akira snorted. "Not as intimidating as Yaldabaoth's version of him. Imagine waking up to that but his voice had two tones, and all he did was laugh evilly at you." 

Ann shushed them, holding a finger in front of her lips. "Guys, quiet!" They glanced over at the inn host who was still absorbed in her attempt to work the machine. She turned back, making sure to keep her voice at a low volume. "It might be all over now, but we don't need people saying 'oh, you're the Phantom Thieves!'" 

Yawning, Ryuji slouched in his seat next to her. "C'mon, let us enjoy the fame for a bit! We deserve it, right? I doubt these guys out in the country would know about us anyway." 

Airi rolled her eyes, sending an email from her phone to her credit card company about using it out of Tokyo. "People still don't know that _we're_ the thieves though, and didn't people in Hawaii know about us? Right, Makoto?" She turned to the former council president, but she didn't respond, her eyes focused in the direction of their host. "Makoto?"

The group turned to watch her, getting worried as she had yet to speak or even blink. Scooting closer, Futaba poked her in her side. "Mako?" 

Jumping at the unexpected touch, Makoto gasped, tearing her eyes away and focusing on her friends. "Huh?! What?" 

Ann furrowed her brow. "Are you OK, Makoto? You were staring at Yukiko-san pretty intensely..." 

She blinked, and blinked again. "I was? Oh..." She glanced back at the woman. "There's just...something familiar about her. I don't know what it is, but I feel like I know her somehow." 

Akechi raised a brow. "You've never been out of Tokyo, though. It would be impossible for you to have met her before...Though I suppose you might've seen her on the news once."

Pausing from his sketch, Yusuke turned to him, pencil in hand. "The news? Had something happened here?"

The detective nodded. "There was a murder at this inn several years ago, about ten if I am correct. The victim disappeared here and wound up dead a day later, hung up on another rooftop's antenna."

Ann cringed. "Yikes. That sounds...horrible." She shifted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable at being in a place where a murder had taken place. "Did they ever catch the killer?"

A dry smile grew on his face. "As a matter of fact, they did a few months later. It was a junior detective by the name of Adachi Tohru."

Akira frowned, resting his elbows on his thighs. "Did you know him?"

Akechi rolled his eyes. "Did you think I knew a detective who was incarcerated ten years ago? No. But his story was interesting to read out." His dark eyes idly roamed the lobby. "It would certainly benefit me to hear the story from the locals."

Morgana stood up at attention. "Makoto, is it something inside you telling you that? Not your head?"

Makoto nodded hesitantly. "H-How did you know?" 

"Pardon the interruption, but the machine is finished!"

The group looked up to see Yukiko waving them over. Getting up from her seat, Airi walked over to the counter. "I've charged you for one night and I've also allocated you to our largest guest suite with its own dining room and separate bedrooms. Check-out is at 3PM tomorrow." The host handed over the credit card as well as their receipt. Taking it, Airi pocketed it back in her wallet. "I'll show you to your rooms. Follow me." She bowed, before leading them to the stairs.

Airi gestured to her friends, and the group followed the host up to the third floor where she knelt in front of a door, slid it open, and gestured them inside. 

"I hope you'll enjoy your stay here." Yukiko bowed, forehead touching the floor. "The hot springs are open now if you'd like to take a soak. We also offer a laundry service in the locker rooms." 

Airi bowed back, though without getting on her knees. "Thank you very much, Yukiko-san. I think we'll do that in a few minutes." 

Smiling, the inn hostess stood up and stilled, her dark eyes meeting red ones. Something in her chest moved, a sensation that she hadn't felt in years.

Makoto stared back, not saying a word.

"I..." Yukiko blinked, furrowing her brow. It was as if... "Please excuse me. Dinner will be sent up soon."

Turning away from the group, she hurriedly walked back down to the lobby, her heart thundering in her rib cage. What was that? It was if she had her Persona again. But that was impossible, wasn't it? Mariko had closed the portal years ago. Yu had told them that he had access to their Personas due to a otherworldly man named Igor, but he completed a contract with him and he disappeared. They didn't have Personas anymore. So why did she feel that familiar warmth of Sumeo-Okami? 

"Yukikoooo~!"

She looked up, seeing Chie skip up to her still in her police uniform. "Hey, we were thinking of getting the group together tonight!" She grinned energetically, adjusting her police cap. "Rise and Naoto are back in town for a couple of days. Are you free?"

Yukiko slowly shook her head. "No. There were some last minute guests who just checked in. They..." She paused, looking down at her tabi covered feet. "...They were strange."

Chie furrowed her brow in confusion. "Strange? Were they delinquents or something? 'Cause if so, just say the word and I'll kick them out for you!" She pumped a fist, getting into a martial arts stance. 

Yukiko laughed fondly at her usual antics. Even after ten years, they were still the best of friends. "No, nothing like that. They were pretty calm for teenagers. One of them even acted as chaperone." The smile fell from her face. "But I felt...something."

"Teenagers, huh?" Chie grinned. "I remember when we were teenagers, kicking butt in the TV. But what did you feel?"

"Exactly what you just said." Yukiko replied quietly. "I felt that feeling like when we were inside the TV world. I felt her again...Sumeo-Okami."

Hazel eyes widened. "Wh-What?! No way!" Chie uttered, taking a step back in shock. "But Yu told us we're done with that stuff!"

Yukiko nodded solemnly. "I know, but I know what I felt. There was one girl, a brunette with red eyes, that really struck me as familiar for some reason, but I know I've never met her." Her lips straightened. "Once our eyes met, I could feel my Persona again for a split second..."  

Chie frowned, crossing her arms. "You think they're here to cause trouble? If you could feel that power again, it could be because they might be enemies..." She glanced at the stairs that led to the guest rooms. "Maybe I should see for myself. You think I can right now?" 

The inn hostess pursed her lips, taking a cloth out to clean the counter. "The chaperone, Kimisawa-san, said they'll be using the hot springs in a bit. You should be able to see them when they're heading there." 

Chie nodded. "Gotcha. In the meantime, why don't you call Yu to let him know about this? He's still our leader, y'know. He'd bring Mari-chan too, and she can definitely confirm for us." 

Yukiko nodded, taking out her phone. "Right, I'll do that now. Why don't we have dinner here then?"

The police officer grinned and rubbed her hands together. "Guess it'll be...a steak out."

Choking, Yukiko covered her mouth as she laughed hysterically at the terrible joke.

 

* * *

 

 

Taking off their shoes at the entrance, the thieves walked into the suite, looking around curiously. It was a traditional tatami room, a large low dining table situated in the middle with several low chairs surrounding it. There were a few alcoves with decorative swords and plates, and to the sides were other shoji doors, open to show large rooms with futons already prepared.

"This is really nice!" Ann marveled, clapping her hands together. "I'm so glad we drove this way!"

Running into one of the bedrooms, Futaba launched herself at the futon that was farthest away. "Dibs on this one!" She yelled, bundling herself in the thick blanket. 

Yusuke furrowed his brow at her actions. "Should you not wash up before doing that? We were in the van for hours."

She stuck her tongue out, but bowed to his logic, getting up from the floor. "Stupid Inari, I'll do what I want!" Going up to her bag, she took her laptop out, placing it on the dining table. Her face fell at the few bars in the corner of the screen. "Wow, the wifi here sucks..."

Ryuji snorted, taking a seat next to her. "I'm surprised there _is_ wifi here...But hey," He looked around awkwardly. "You think they might kick us out if they find out Morgana's here?"

Said feline bristled, jumping out of the bag. "They're more likely to kick you out than me. I'm sure before the night's over, you'd cause a scene." He slowly groomed himself, licking a paw. "I'm not the delinquent, after all."

Haru stretched her arms in the air, sighing contently. "It's been a long time since we've gone to a hot springs. I remember the last time I was here, there weren't any gender divisions, so men and women would have to soak at different times...."

The room was filled with chatter as the group of thieves settled into their room for the night, tired from their hours long drive. Glancing at the still quiet upperclassman, Airi guided her to the other bedroom, sliding the door closed behind them. "What's wrong, Makoto? Is it that feeling again?" 

Makoto nodded quietly, eyes staring ahead. "I felt Anat reacting to her presence. As if...As if she was a Persona user." 

Her eyebrows raised at the claim. That wasn't what she expected to hear today. "...Are you sure?" Airi pressed. "Do you think she might've been another pawn of Yaldabaoth's?" 

Makoto shook her head, her brown hair framing her cheeks. "No, nothing like that. More like..." She struggled to find the words, biting her lip. "It was like seeing myself in a way. I got the same feeling from her like when I would charge up a spell." Sighing, she sat down on the tatami mat, tucking her legs beneath her. "It doesn't make sense..." 

Taking a seat next to her, Airi softly bumped shoulders with her. "Hey, we're here with you, right? The whole team is here. Whatever happens, we'll always have each other's backs." She smiled gently. "We'll figure this out." 

Staring at her for a moment, a small smile grew on her lips. "You're right. Thanks, Airi." She stretched her arms in the air and cracked her knuckles, relieving the ache of grabbing the steering wheel for hours. "It might've been a fluke, but we should test this to confirm our theory."

The door slid open, showing Akira smiling amusedly down at them. "Which means we're staying for more than one night?" 

Airi blinked at his appearance. "You were listening in?" 

Grinning at her, he rubbed the back of his neck. "These doors aren't soundproof. Anyway, if I'm getting what you're saying, Makoto, it would mean she's a Persona user." His eyes sharpened, glancing at the entrance. "And when there's one Persona user..."

"There's usually more." Akechi finished, crossing his arms. 

"Case in point: You." Ryuji snorted, getting up from the floor. "So, we've got another Persona user in the house, huh? That Yukiko lady?"

Airi furrowed her brow. It didn't make sense for there to be more Persona users since Yaldabaoth was dealt with. "Futaba, can you search her up?"

"Already on it..." Futaba grinned, fingers flying all over her keyboard. "Like I said before, The Amagi Inn is famous around these parts. It's known as "The Jewel of Inaba," and it's been passed down through the generations. Yukiko is the latest, taking over about two years ago."

Haru raised her brows. "Wow, I'm impressed. Taking over a family business is hard work." She glanced toward the door. "Maybe I can ask for some advice..."

"She went to Yasogami High School which is in the area, and..." Futaba stopped, staring at the screen. "She was kidnapped for a week?"

The group looked at her in surprise. "What does that mean?" Akira asked, leaning against the door frame.

"It means exactly that. She went missing for a week, then reappeared." Futaba scrunched up her face. "...And get this, she wasn't the only one kidnapped. A Tatsumi Kanji, Kujikawa Rise, and Shirogane Naoto also went missing in this town before reappearing as if nothing happened."

Ann perked up. "Oh, Risette is from this town?!" She clasped her hands excitedly. "I've always looked up to her! I almost met her once for a shoot, but she got called away for a much bigger production..." She pouted. "But I have all her CDs! Hey, you think she's here?!"

Akechi grimaced. "Focus, Takamaki. Didn't you hear she was also kidnapped?" He grasped his chin speculatively. "Shirogane Naoto...Four high school students were kidnapped, then reappeared as if nothing happened. Is there anything else?"

"Uhh..." Futaba switched from the police database to the local school's filing system, quickly scrolling through the information. "They were all classmates, and were seen hanging out frequently. Other people of interest are a Satonaka Chie, Hanamura Yosuke, and a Narukami Yu. This Yu guy's cousin was kidnapped too, but they caught the perp."

Airi raised her brows. "Teenagers catching a criminal, now why does that sound familiar..." She sighed, rolling her neck tiredly. "Guess Makoto's theory is becoming more and more likely. You think this whole group was their own Phantom Thieves group?"

"Unlikely."

They turned to Morgana who was sitting on the windowsill, looking up at the moon. "How so?" Akira furrowed his brow, crossing his arms.

"We are the only Phantom Thieves to exist in this day and age. There are no others in our line of work." The feline answered, turning to look at the teenagers, his leader specifically. "But that doesn't mean we're the only Persona Users. My master has existed for sometime now, and you're not the first person he's made a contract with."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Shoji doors are sliding doors. They can be paper, plastic, foam, etc. Washi is when it's rice paper.  
> -Tatami are traditional straw mats.  
> -Low chairs are basically cushions with back support.  
> -tabi are white colored socks that separate the big toe from the other toes.  
> -credit/debit cards are not widely used in Japan, even in the cities. Cash is the way to go, though most hotels and inns will take card.  
> -I'm going by the assumption that once you finish your contract with Igor, your effect on Personas disappear. As in, you can't fuse/add skills/ etc. You can't summon a Persona outside of the Metaverse without deity powers becoming involved. I'll explain this further in future chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

"...Did I actually make a contract with him?" Akira rubbed the back of his neck. "I really only talked to him for about...five minutes total."

Airi coughed, trying to hide her laugh. "Right, you said you've been strengthening your bond with Yaldabaoth in disguise." She giggled at his blanch, smoothing down her black skirt as she adjusted her legs. "Were you good friends?"

Letting out a heavy sigh, he collapsed next to her and hid his face in her shoulder. "I went through so much abuse..."

Jumping from the ledge, Morgana padded up to the group as they sat down. "It still counts. He did it in master's name." He stated, grooming a whisker. "In any case, we aren't the only Persona users to exist. I can feel the remnants of a god in this town...No doubt someone was chosen to go against them."

Akechi flinched. "Another god..?" He grimaced, looking away, conflict in his eyes. "Is it wise to stay here any longer, then?"

Taking off her dusty blue coat, Haru shuffled on her legs to sit closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Akechi-kun. We won't let anything happen to you." She smiled even as he brushed her off with an irritated frown. "You're one of us, and we already beat one god into submission." She giggled daintily at the memory. "We can do it again."

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji grinned, pumping his fists. "Ain't nothin' that can bring us down!"

They all nodded with a smile on their faces. They wouldn't be able to forget that final battle with the distorted god. It was such a close call that they almost died and doomed humanity. Knowing that people believed in their abilities had strengthened their resolves to be stronger than his. That was the only way that Satanael was summoned with his full power. Anything after that would never be able to compare.

"So..." Ann began, twirling a ponytail. "Doesn't that mean that they're our senpais?"

Makoto blinked. "Do you think Yukiko-san is mine then?"

"Could be." Futaba answered distractedly, eyes glued to her screen. "It's only you who's feeling those feels with her. Maybe you guys should make out and see how that effects you."

Makoto blushed furiously, covering her feverish face while Yusuke furrowed his brow. "Why would they do that? What would that accomplish?"

The hacker snickered, hugging her olive jacket closer to herself. "Maybe she's her soulmate and that's why she's all tingly-"

"All right," Airi held out her hands in a stop motion, rolling her eyes. "Enough of that. It's getting late and we still haven't washed off. We should go to the hot springs now."

"Agreed." Akechi grimaced, getting up from his seat on the mat, brushing imaginary dust off of his blue knitted vest. "I don't want to be thinking something's _destined_ for me anymore."

Getting up from the floor, they put on their complimentary slippers and headed down the stairs, Akira hiding Morgana in his bag. Following the signs on the walls, they headed toward the back of the inn on the first floor to where the locker rooms and hot springs were located.

Turning the corner, they paused, tensing at the police uniform on the woman casually leaning against the wall. She was fiddling with her phone, and looked up at the sound of their footsteps. "Oh, hey!" She grinned, giving them a wave. "I don't recognize you guys. Welcome to Inaba!"

Airi smiled politely, inwardly panicking. Why was there a police officer hanging around in the exact same inn they were in? "Thank you, keisatsu-san. Are you here for a soak as well?"

Chie shook her head, putting her phone in her pocket, her hand grazing against her baton. "Nah. Yukiko's a good friend of mine, and we were thinking of having a group dinner again."

Brown eyes sharpened at the action, and Akechi plastered a smile as well. "Oh, is that so? Well, don't let us keep you. I'm sure they're waiting for you now."

She laughed, not noticing the subtle dig for information. "Yeah, it's been a while since Rise and Naoto are in town!" She brightened. "We should hang out! There's not much to do in Inaba, but we could show you around tomorrow if you're staying that long!"

A smirk grew on his lips and Akira nodded. Perfect opportunity presented right in their laps. "We'll take you up on that." 

"Awesome!" She grinned before her eyes widened. "Oh! I almost forgot! My name's Satonaka Chie! It's nice to meet you guys!" 

Glancing at one another at the name, Airi smiled, stepping forward. "It's nice to meet you as well, Satonaka-san. I'm Airi, and this is Akira, Akechi, Makoto, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Haru, and Futaba." She introduce them, gesturing to each person named.

Chie rubbed the back of her head as she laughed awkwardly. "Just Chie if you don't mind! And wow, you guys are a big group!" She gazed at all the teenagers with a smile. "Are you on a road trip?" 

"Something like that..." Makoto answered quietly, her smile slightly nervous as she fiddled with a button on her blue blazer jacket. "We were just going to spend the night. This was the only place to rest that showed up on our GPS."

She nodded in understanding. "Well, you won't be disappointed!" She grinned, leaning against the wall. "The hot springs are amazing! And they're gender divided now, so you don't have to worry about the guys being perverts." She raised a brow at the male teenagers, stopping at the blond. She stilled, feeling her chest pulse with a familiar thrum. Was this what Yukiko had meant?

Resting his thumbs in his pockets, Ryuji stared down at her, a frown on his lips. 

Yusuke raised a brow, crossing his arms over his pin striped beige jacket. "Perverts? For what reason?" 

The group sweatdropped at his obliviousness.

She blinked, and blinked again. "Er...Well, I'm not gonna stop you for any longer!" She smiled nervously. "Enjoy your soak!" She tried to walk past them toward the lobby. Brushing against the blond's arm, she flinched as the touch zapped her like an electric socket, even through her thick uniform. She walked faster, speeding down the hall.

Tensing, he swerved his head to watch as she quickly retreated, eyes wide as goosebumps rose underneath his sweater from the cold temperatures. 

Now that the group was alone, Morgana sneaked his head from the small opening in the bag. "So. Any of you get a feeling with her?"

Slowly turning back to the group, Ryuji nodded. "Y-Yeah...I get what Makoto was talkin' about now." He gingerly rubbed the spot that had touched the police officer. "Can't believe she's a fuckin' cop though..."

Ann snorted, resting her arm on his shoulder. "Poor you," She mocked teasingly. "You're going to abide by the law around her." 

Akira reached up to adjust his glasses, pausing when he realized he didn't wear them anymore. "If we can believe her, their members are all in town." He stated quietly. "Right in this inn..."

Ann perked up. "Right! She said "Rise" is back in town. You think that's Risette?" She clapped her hands excitedly at the thought of meeting the more experienced idol.

Futaba popped her head out from behind Airi, hugging onto the older girl's arm. "Are we doing our ultimate showdown tonight?" 

Haru gasped her chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps we should wait until tomorrow morning?" She suggested, lacing her hands in front of her white button up. "We're all tired from the drive."

Idly brushing hair out of his eyes, Yusuke turned to look at her. "Are you suggesting things will turn hostile?"

They quieted at the thought. Would they have to fight the older group? They didn't really know each other, after all. They had no knowledge of whether or not these other Persona users still had access to the Metaverse. Whether or not they were stronger or weaker. They wouldn't want to wreck the town with their battle, physically or metaphysically. They also didn't want to harm them if they were innocent, which was very possible.

"Let's..." Airi sighed, hugging Futaba into her side. "Let's save it for later. I really just want to drown myself in the hot springs right now..." 

"Oh!" Morgana gasped, eyes shining at the thought. "P-Perhaps I should stand guard for you girls..." His eyes darted to Ann before a blush overtook his muzzle. "Just in case they attack us!"

Akira deadpanned. "No." He walked into the men's room, ignoring the feline's protests. The other guys followed after him, and the girls went into the women's room. 

Hopefully the hot mineral waters could soothe their thoughts for now...

His phone rang, piercing the silence of his small house. Stubbing his cigarette, Yu picked it up. "Narukami here."

" _Yu._ " Yukiko spoke. " _Are you aware there's a group dinner today? Naoto and Rise are back in town. I contacted the others to let them know to meet._ "

He blinked. "Oh, right. Are we going to Aiya's?" He stood up from the porch, grabbing his jacket from the rack as he readied himself. He had been so spaced out lately that he completely forgot.

" _No_." She replied quietly. " _We're having dinner at the inn. There are some new guests here that seem...strange_."

His eyes narrowed. "Strange? How?" Holding the phone between his ear and shoulder, he shrugged on his jacket and walked toward the entrance. "Should I come to investigate?"

" _...I felt Sumeo-Okami again. Only when I locked eyes with one of the girls, though._ "

He stilled. What? Sumeo-Okami? Her Persona? "Are you sure?" He asked fervently, gripping the phone in his hand. "Who was this girl?" 

" _I don't know her name, but- Oh, Chie came back. Hold on a moment. Chie! Did you meet them?_ "

" _Yeah...oh my god, you were right, Yukiko. You were so right._ " He heard through the speaker, though quieter since the she was farther away.

"What happened?" He pressed.

There was a bit of crackling and Chie's voice came through. " _Hey, Yu. Yukiko handed me the phone. I met the group and got their names, well, their first names anyway. They're on a road trip and said they were supposed to leave in the morning, but I offered to show them around town so they're staying longer now._ "

She paused, breathing heavily. " _I...I felt her. Haraedo-no-Okami. I don't know how or why, but when I accidentally touched one of them, I felt like he zapped me._ " 

He furrowed his brow. Zapped her? Like a Zio? "So...you felt your Persona when you looked at one of them, and Yukiko felt her Persona when she looked at another one?" 

" _Y-Yeah..._ " She breathed shakily. " _Yu, you told us we don't have Personas anymore. What gives?!_ " 

"...I never said that." He answered after a moment, frowning guiltily. He remembered that he never fully explained to the group back then. "I only said that they weren't needed anymore." 

" _...Wait, what?_ " She snapped. " _So we still have our powers?!_ " 

" _What?_ " He heard Yukiko gasp in the background.

Sighing heavily, he rubbed his temple as he felt a headache come on. This wasn't how he wanted to let them know. "I told you guys that I had a contract with a man named Igor, in a place called the Velvet Room. He allowed us, or well..." He paused. "Margaret allowed us to delve into our Personas. It's how I had so many abilities, remember?" 

" _Right..._ " Chie replied slowly. " _And?_ " 

"So, once we defeated Izanami-no-Okami, our contract was finished." He swallowed, repressing the urge to cry in frustration even as his eyes began to moisten. "...I can't enter that room anymore. Mari closed the TVs, and she hadn't found the room either, so...what was the point of having Personas anymore? That's why I told you guys we don't need them now."

They weren't needed anymore. Their job was finished. They saved the town like they were supposed to. They risked their lives only to be forgotten by all except for those involved. He should've been satisfied with it, happy even that he and his friends could live in peace, but he couldn't.

He could only feel emptiness as they switched from fighting for their lives almost every day to just doing paperwork at the station. It was fine in the beginning when they were riding their high out after their victory, but as the years came and went without any action, he found himself falling into a daily schedule that slowly choked him.

He felt lost. Discarded by his parents, by Igor, by himself as Izanagi-no-Okami fell into a deep slumber in his heart from neglect...He met their expectations, right? So why was this emptiness his reward?

He heard a sigh, the speaker crackling at the sound. " _Yu...You shouldn't have lied to us._ "

"I know..." He whispered, sitting down on the ledge in front of the door. "I just...didn't want you guys to get your hopes up."

She sighed again. " _Well...now we know that we still have our Personas, what do we do about these kids?_ " 

"Not sure..." He answered, putting on his shoes. "But let's try to meet them, us and them. I have a theory, but I'll be able to confirm it once I see them face to face. If you and Yukiko felt something when looking at those specific kids, then I probably have a counterpart too."

" _Oh, right..._ " She oohed in understanding. " _Hey Yukiko, you think it's gonna be Airi?_ "

" _Mmm, no..._ " He heard the inn owner reply. " _I can see that blue haired guy as his counterpart. Kimisawa-san would probably go with Naoto.._."

"Well," He interrupted, grabbing his keys and opening the front door to his house. "I'll be there in a couple minutes. Tell the others what I told you, and if they protest, you can let them know I'll explain everything."

" _Gotcha._ " Chie replied. " _Mari-chan's coming too, right? She's the deity around here, after all. Maybe she can sense something with her powers._ "

"Yeah, I'm going to go pick her up from the TV station now."

Hanging up, he closed the door behind him and opened the driver's seat of his car. Starting the engine, he slowly backed out of his driveway and headed down the streets. He no longer lived in the Dojima residence, having moved out a couple years ago to live with Mariko. Nanako cried a bit, but she knew he was only a few minutes away. He would never leave this tiny town that became his home.

The Inaba TV station wasn't anything special, but it was where most of the entertainment in this town was broadcast over the TVs. It was why Mariko was working here since her powers correlated with TVs and weather. Checking his watch as he pulled into the parking lot, he saw she would've gotten off her shift a few minutes ago.

The doors to the building slid open and a woman walked out in a black suit. She had grown from her old punk outfit, replacing the white vest and plaid skirt with a black business suit. No longer wearing black and white striped stockings, it was plain black, enveloping her slim legs. She didn't have the Velvet Room cap anymore, showing off her still short black hair.

With a fond smile, Yu got out of his car to give his girlfriend a kiss. She was one of the only reasons why he could still smile and try to keep going. Her and their friends anchored him here, making this town home for him. Some days, he still couldn't believe he was dating a literal goddess. "How was work?"

Reciprocating the intimate motion, she leaned her head against his chest, breathing in the now familiar aroma of cigarettes. "It was fine. I'm making tomorrow sunny, but the day after that will be raining."

He nodded and gestured to the car. "C'mon, there's a group dinner today at the inn."

Getting into the passenger's side, she raised a brow. "At the inn? Don't we usually eat at Aiya's?"

Closing his door, he put on his seat belt again. "Not this time. Yukiko called me to let me know there's a group of teenagers staying at the inn."

"So..?" She gave him an odd look as he backed out of the parking lot and onto the street. "Are we babysitting or something?"

He stared straight ahead at the road, his hands gripping the steering wheel. "...She and Chie both said they felt their Personas again when they made contact."

Her eyebrows rose up. "...They're sure about that?" She looked down at her lap speculatively. "I did sense something earlier, but I thought it was my mind playing tricks on me."

He glanced over at her. "What did you sense?"

"...Personas." She answered quietly. "Very powerful ones."

He nodded. "So I was right. They _are_ Persona users." He slowly turned the car at the corner. "I wonder though..."

She blinked and looked over at him. "Wonder what?"

He hummed as the inn slowly came into view. Parking the car away from the two in the parking lot, he turned off the engine.

"I wonder...if they're The Phantom Thieves."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> keisatsu = police officer


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I'm updating this once a week ish? LOL I don't know what I'm doing anymore. Don't take my word for it.
> 
> Thanks for 55 kudos and 1.5k hits!

"Aaah..." Akira sighed, relaxing into the hot volcanic waters. "This is nice..."

"Agreed." Yusuke replied, dumping a bucket of water over his head within the shower room before walking over to the open pool, the steam rising into the cool night sky. "A hot spring with such rich history would surely invigorate my painter's aptitude."

Ryuji snorted, leaning his back against the stones, polished from decades of use. "Always with the art, this guy..."

"Leave him alone." Morgana scolded, floating on a wooden bucket over the waters. "We all deserved to have a nice vacation like this. Though I wish I was human so I could actually swim in here..."

The ex-runner sighed, ruffling his short blond hair. "And we told you earlier, we can't let 'em find cat hair in the water."

Gray eyes slid over to the only silent person in the lake, lounging farther from the others. "What's wrong, Goro?"

His eyes snapped over to his leader. "I told you not to call me that." Akechi grumbled quietly, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "...Should we really be relaxing at a time like this when there are potential enemies gathering only a few meters away?"

"Aw, c'mon!" Ryuji grinned, stretching his arms up into the cool air. "You gotta learn 'ta relax!" Taking a deep breath, he dove under the waters and swam up to the detective, resurfacing with a gasp. Reaching out with an arm, he hung it around his shoulders, bringing him into a half embrace. "How about this. Since you've been doin' jack shit up until you joined us, let's get you to do somethin' you enjoy."

Akechi grunted, trying to shrug off his arm but to no avail. "And what might that be?"

Ryuji giggled as a perverted blush spread across his cheeks. "Well..." He drawled, eyeing the wooden partition that separated the hotsprings into two gendered sections. "...We could see what the girls are up to."

Making a disgusted noise, Akechi pushed him away and he fell back under the waters. "No thanks. Peeping is against the law and I am still willing to uphold justice."

Popping his head above the surface, Ryuji spewed out the water he accidentally swallowed. "H-Hey..." He coughed. "Not cool!"

Taking a small towel, Yusuke delicately wiped his shoulders and chest with the moist cloth. "There is no point in worrying." He stated calmly, relaxing in the waters. "We are The Phantom Thieves."

Akira snorted, giving him an amused smirk. "Former Phantom Thieves, remember? We aren't supposed to be doing any more thieving."

The artist gave him a mysterious smile. "Who would find out?"

Rolling his eyes, Akechi waded over to them near the divider. "We're done with that. You had promised to officially disband the group."

"Officially." Akira grinned slyly, slicking his bangs back with a wet hand.

_"Hey Makoto, when'd you learn to drive?"_

The guys perked up, glancing over at the partition that separated them from the girls. Though there wasn't a clear view, the recently erected wall was made up of several wooden poles, tied together with thick rope. It didn't stop them from overhearing the conversation from the other side, and Ryuji swam closer to listen in.

_"Oh...Sis made me learn just in case. I got my license a few months ago."_

Airi hummed. _"...I'm wondering if I should do that too."_

 _"You're turning eighteen soon, right Airi? You should."_ Makoto replied. _"You were the one who drove Morgana first, right?"_

_"Yeah, but I had Akira take over. With how I was feeling inside Mementos, it wasn't safe for me to be driving..."_

_"It was really scary to see you inside Mementos...I-I didn't know what to do, or if Prometheus could help..."_

_"Don't worry, Futaba. It's all over now."_ Airi comforted, water splashed as she wrapped her arms around the younger girl. _"Hopefully I'd never have to get that bad again."_

 _"Don't jinx it!"_ Ann scolded. _"Hey wait...Did you grow again?"_

The males blushed as the conversation switched from solemn to whatever this was. Nodding to himself, Ryuji swam as close as he could to the partition, eyeing the minuscule cracks.

Akechi crossed his arms at his actions. "What do you think you're doing?" He glared disapprovingly. 

Turning to the detective, he held up a finger in front of his mouth as he grinned, shushing him.

 _"Huh? I guess."_ Airi replied hesitantly. _"They're not that impressive. Haru's are bigger."_

 _"Aw, Airi-chan! I think we all have very nice pairs!"_ Haru chirped.

 _"Hehe..."_ Futaba snickered. _"You guys sure do. Mako's got some catchin' up to do."_

 _"Futaba!"_ Makoto scolded uncomfortably, water splashing around.  _"Th-That's very inappropriate to talk about..."_

_"Pshaw, we're all girls here!"_

_"Yes, but...Did you forget the guys are only a few meters away? They could be listening in..."_

_"Oh, that's true."_ Haru agreed. _"But I would hope we could have more faith in them."_

Ann snorted. _"They're all perverts, Haru. There's no denying that fact."_

_"Even Yusuke-kun?"_

_"Especially Yusuke."_

Inhaling sharply, said artist held a hand near his chest, offended at the accusation. "I am _not_ -" He was muffled as Ryuji reached out with a hand and covered his mouth, the ex-runner still staring avidly at the partition. 

_"Nah. Inari's more...paintsexual than anything."_

_"..."Paintsexual"?"_ Airi asked hesitantly.

_"Yeah, he gets a boner whenever he inhales the paint fumes."_

_"Ugh!"_ Ann splashed water at her. _"Don't say that!"_

The guys all gave each other weird looks. Was this what girls chatted about when they bathed together? Or was it only their female friends that were this weird? Wading even closer, Ryuji leaned against the wall, squinting through the cracks.

"Ryuji..!" Morgana hissed quietly, paddling his paws to propel his bucket closer. "Stop being such a pervert! I won't let you do this to them!" 

 _"Hey, what do you think Mona would look like if he had a human form?"_ Futaba asked.

The feline paused, his bucket washing up against the wood of the wall. Ears sticking straight up, he listened in on the conversation, joining the person he was originally scolding.

 _"Hmm...Black hair?"_ Makoto speculated. _"He has blue eyes, too...Maybe a foreigner?"_

 _"You think maybe he'd be younger than us?"_ Airi asked. _"Like, say twelve years old?"_

 _"Oh, Mona-chan would be so cute!"_ Haru clapped her hands together. _"Just imagining him in a middle school uniform makes me want to hug him!"_

 _"Yeah, that would be pretty cute!"_ Ann laughed. _"If only, huh..."_

""If only"?..." Morgana whispered to himself, a blush on his muzzle. "Do I have a chance..?"

Akira sweatdropped, reaching out to pet the feline. "We'll see." He consoled. He didn't know if they could contact Igor again, especially so soon after their contract was "completed." But if there was any chance of Morgana changing into a human, it was through the long nosed man and Lavenza.

"I can't see..." Ryuji grumbled quietly, moving his head around to try to find an opening through the slivers of space. Akechi rolled his eyes, turning his back to them and sinking deeper into the spring, not wanting anything to do with this.

 _"Sooo..."_ Ann began. _"Airi."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"You've been dating Akira for a couple of months now, right?"_

Said male perked up, hearing his name in the conversation. Swerving his head toward the wall, he listened intently.

_"Uh-huh..."_

_"Have you guys...done it yet?"_

_"Huh?!"_

Four pairs of eyes drilled into the back of his head, and Akira sweated. Glancing to his left, he met Akechi's hard gaze. "Did you?" The detective mouthed venomously, brown eyes promising a second murder attempt. His eyes darted away, not wanting to answer. 

_"I'm not answering you."_

_"Then, how good of a kisser is he? He's taken you out on dates, right?"_

_"Oh yeah!"_ Futaba piped up. _"I remember tracking your phones all the way to the amusement park before!"_

 _"Futaba!"_ Airi reprimanded. _"What did I say about tracking us?"_

_"Only in emergencies, but I got curious! I hacked your phone too and listened in on your conversations. He won you a bear, right?"_

_"Oh my days..."_ She groaned before sighing in resignation. _"OK, yes. He is a very sweet guy and...I'm glad we're together. Sometimes, it's hard to believe we're actually going out."_

_"Why would you say that, Airi-chan?" Haru asked concernedly. "Of course he would love you. You've been together since the beginning, even as classmates."_

_"I mean...I'm not rich like you, Haru, or drop dead gorgeous like Ann, or ridiculously intelligent like Makoto..."_

_"And me?"_

_"...Are you saying you want to date your brother, Futaba?"_

_"NO! EW!"_

Akira sweatdropped as the conversation began to derail to places he didn't ever want to think about, but...He smiled to himself, feeling his heart flutter as he heard his girlfriend talk about him. She had been there for him from the very beginning, of course he would fall in love.

 _"Anyway, it was just surprising. I'm glad though...I wouldn't trade this for anything."_ She murmured shyly. _"He's the best thing to happen to me..."_

 _"Aww, that's so sweet!"_ Haru remarked cheerfully.

_"So how big is he?"_

_"FUTABA!"_

Akira blushed, nervously swallowing as he felt the gaze of his other fellow males on his back. "You guys did it?!" Ryuji hissed incredulously.

He shrugged, not answering. He would neither confirm nor deny any such occurrence, as was his right as a lawful citizen, etc etc...

 _"All right. I think that's enough of this..."_ Makoto stated uncomfortably, water splashing as she moved to the edge, lifting herself out of the pool. _"We should probably go and have dinner..."_

_"You've got a nice butt, Mako."_

_"Futaba!"_

_"No, she's right."_ Airi agreed. _"It must be from all that kicking she does in the Metaverse."_

_"Airi!!"_

Ann snorted. _"No need to be so embarrassed, Makoto. You should be proud of your butt!"_

 _"Like how you're proud of devouring three cakes in under five minutes?"_ She retorted. _"How do you keep your figure so well, anyway?"_

 _"Doesn't your catsuit squeeze all your fat?"_ Futaba asked. _"How do you not have a tan line from your boob window?"_

 _"I do!"_ Ann argued. _"It's faint, but it's so annoying! The magazine keeps having to edit it out."_

 _"Let me see?"_ Haru asked, water splashing as she moved closer. _"I think I have a whitening cream you can use for it...Oh, wow. You're very perky, Ann-chan!"_

 _"I'm a little jealous."_ Airi confessed. _"They're so perfectly round...Is it from your European genes?"_

 _"Maybe, I don't know."_ Ann replied vaguely. _"But your's are round and perfect too! And they're bigger than average...Should we compare?"_

"Compare..?" Ryuji whispered, excitement coursing through his veins. "I gotta see!" He tried to squint through the tiny cracks but to no avail. The poles were tied too tightly to each other. Exhaling sharply, he reached up to one of the ropes, hoisting himself up the wall. 

"What are you doing..?" Yusuke asked slowly, furrowing his brow. "It is prohibited for males to enter the female's side."

"I don't care!" Ryuji gritted his teeth, reaching up with his other arm to go higher. "They sound like they're about to get it on..!"

Akechi rolled his eyes and waded over to the edge, climbing out of the hot springs. "I'm leaving before the entire wall comes crashing down." Adjusting his towel, he walked into the shower room and out of sight. "If you get arrested, I don't know you and I won't be showing up for your bail."

"Ryuji!" Morgana hissed, jumping out of his bucket and onto the rocks next to the barrier. "Get down from there!"

"Hell no!" He retorted. "When's the next time we're gonna have a chance like this?" 

Growling, the feline jumped up in one quick leap, sinking his claws into the ex-runner's waist towel as a foothold.

"Hey!" Ryuji yelped, wiggling his hips, trying to dislodge him. "Get off!"

"I will not let you besmirch Lady Ann's honor like this!" Morgana yelled. "Nor Haru's, or Airi's, or Makoto or Futaba's!" Unhooking a paw, he unleashed his claws on the ex-runner, swatting at his butt.

"OW!" He yelled, the sound reverberating through the entire back of the inn. The water stilled, the sounds of splashing from the other side stopping.

_"What was that..? Was that Ryuji?"_

_"It sounded really close...like, REALLY close."_

_"Ugh! Is he trying to perv on us again?! I'm getting out before he gets any further..."_

The loud splashing of water followed by the sound of wet footsteps echoed from the women's side, the glass door sliding close with a crack as the girls moved inside the building.

"Wait, no!" He bit his lip as he tried to climb higher, but the weight of a cat on his towel proved too much and the fabric unfurled to the ground, Morgana landing on his paws effortlessly. 

"Ugh..." Akira covered his eyes as he climbed out of the waters. "Didn't need to see everything today, thanks."

"How distasteful." Yusuke shook his head as he headed toward the shower room. 

"Uh...guys?" Ryuji called out from the top of the partition, now alone and naked in the hot springs. "Can someone help me down?...Guys?!"

Turning off the engine, Yu and Mari got out of the car and walked into the inn. Yukiko and Chie were waiting at the front desk, stalling their conversation once they saw the two come in. "Hey, Yu! Mari-chan!" Chie greeted awkwardly, trying to smile at the couple.

Yu nodded apprehensively. He didn't know if she was still mad from earlier. "Hey..."

"Hey guys!" Mari smiled at the two, unbuttoning her blazer as the temperatures inside the inn warmed them from the outdoor chill. "Is everyone already here?"

Yukiko nodded, gesturing down the hall. "I've already prepared one of the dining halls for us. The others are waiting for us now." 

They walked down the hall, their dull footsteps echoing throughout the lobby as they made their way to one of the rooms. Sliding the door open, the host gestured for them to enter. Taking off their shoes, Yu and Mari walked into the room, greeting their other friends that were already sat at the large dining table, food laid out across the counter by the staff. 

"Senpai!" Rise beamed, waving enthusiastically. Her beauty and personality had remained mostly the same, though her body sported more womanly curves now that she was a full fledged adult in the multimedia world. "I'm so glad you were able to make it!" 

Yu sweatdropped. "Hi, Rise. You don't have to keep calling me Senpai..." 

She waved him away, scooting closer as he sat down on one of the cushions. "Nonsense! You'll always be Yu-senpai to me!" 

"Yo!" Kanji waved, holding up a cup of shochu. He had long accepted that he didn't need to act tough to be accepted, keeping his hair black and wearing corrective glasses now. "Glad you made it." 

Mari waved as she took a seat next to her longtime boyfriend. "Hi Kanji. How's the store?"

He grinned, rubbing his nose. "Great! I sold a couple more dolls today. One of the kids who've been attendin' every single workshop gave me her first ever hand made doll as a gift and I..." He smiled awkwardly, glancing away in embarrassment as a blush crept up his cheeks. "I kinda cried..."

"That sounds wonderful." Naoto stated quietly, a small smile on her face. She had kept her hair short to seem more professional while on the scenes, but had replaced her old coat for a shorter blue blazer that hugged her every curve, keeping her blue colored detective theme. "You'll have to catch me up. I'm afraid I spent too much time focusing on my case in Tokyo to remember much of anything else..." 

"Speaking of which," Yosuke interrupted. "Tell us about that case, Naoto!" He had also kept his hair in the same style as he had back when they were teenagers, opting to replace his headphones every so often with a new pair. He replaced his old white fur trimmed jacket for a fur collar white trench coat, an orange shirt underneath as always. "The Phantom Thieves sounded way cool!" 

"Yes!" Teddie chimed in. "Tell us, tell us!" The Shadow turned human had also remained mostly unchanged, wearing a white blouse shirt and black slacks at all times. Though no one could explain how, he had subtly aged a bit, the baby fat in his cheeks curving into smooth planes of adulthood. His eyes which were big blue sapphires were slightly narrower now, helping him with his "romantic" side. Letting his hair grow out, the shining blond strands flowed to his shoulders, loosely held together with a leather string. No matter how mature he looked now, he still kept his air headed and peppy personality.

Sliding the door closed, Yukiko took a seat, Chie following her example. "Perhaps we should begin with that before we explain why we had everyone gather here." The inn owner suggested, delicately picking up her cup of tea, taking a sip of the just boiled liquid. 

Naoto nodded, relaxing on her cushion. "All right then. I probably shouldn't be letting such confidential information slip to civilians, but...We're not simple civilians, are we?" She smiled faintly. "To begin with, I was given a call around October once I had finished up another case up north in Hokkaido. The Tokyo police HQ had explained to me that they had captured the leader of The Phantom Thieves due to their involvement in Okumura Kunikazu's death, but his body disappeared after his apparent suicide." She explained quietly, lifting a cup of warm sake up to her lips.

"Shortly after that, active student detective Akechi Goro had disappeared, creating a void in the investigation team. I was asked to fill the spot, but once I had arrived during the beginning of December due to conflicting schedules, the vigilante group had already stolen would-be Prime Minister Shido Masayoshi's "heart," prompting his public confession which I'm sure you all had witnessed on TV." 

"Yeah..." Chie crossed her arms. "That was a really messed up time. I never thought that someone who was supposed to be democratically elected could be so evil..." 

"Indeed." Naoto inclined her head. "Then of course, we get to December 24th. I'm sure you all know what happened then." She glanced over at Yu who kept his head down. "Somehow, what seemed to be the TV world and the real world merged in Tokyo, creating some sort of hellish landscape that normal citizens couldn't detect. I was one of the rare ones to stare in shock at the bones and blood water raining down from the sky..." She shuddered at the memory, downing her shot. The alcohol burned her throat on the way down, and the warmth it provided kept her calm. "It was...horrifying to witness." 

"How did that happen, Teddie?" Rise asked fearfully, hugging herself. "It was so scary...I was doing a shoot out in Inokashira Park and by the time I realized what happened, everything was over..."

Teddie sighed, slumping his shoulders. "I'm not really sure..." He shrugged helplessly. "I felt something when that happened though...As if the lines between Shadows and humans began to blur again. It was so confusing..." He held his head at the memory, trying to shake off the still lingering sensation even after months. "It was like being squished together and pulled apart at the same time..." 

Glancing over at his girlfriend, Yu placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mari? Any ideas?"

Letting her arms fall from her thinking pose, she bit her lip. "I might, but...To be honest, Inaba is my domain. I'm not powerful enough in the real world to have affected an entire city like that."

"Then what can you tell us?" Kanji downed another cup of shochu before refilling it. "It was that god, right? That giant...whatevermathing?"

She chuckled. "Yes. He called himself "Yaldabaoth"...I didn't think he would gain so much power to manifest in the real world like that."

Yosuke tilted his head, picking up a piece of sashimi with his chopsticks. "So...Who is he?"

Shifting in her seat, Mari began. "As you know, Izanami and Izanagi are gods that have existed in Japanese mythology for centuries, millennia. Gods like us exist due to human cognition. Enough people believed and we were born in the other world, birthing others and co-existing with other gods. Shadows are people's inner selves made into existence, so it could be argued that every Shadow is a "god" in a sense."

"So Teddie is also a god?" The bear-turned-human gasped in delight. "Then I will use my godly powers to draw all the women to me! Rise-chan! Chie-chan! Yukiko-chan! Naoto-chan!" He held his arms out, expecting any of his female friends to fall into his embrace. 

Sticking a leg out, Chie kicked him over. "Not a chance, buddy." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Mari-chan. You're saying we've been...killing gods while in the TV world?"

"You don't kill Shadows like that." She shook her head. "As long as the person it comes from is alive, the Shadow will reform sooner or later. The only time a Shadow really disappears is when the person it's attached to dies in the real world or was killed in their own mindscapes. That would be the mental breakdowns from last year."

Yu crossed his arms. "So while they could be considered a god, they don't exist in multiple people's minds so they aren't powerful in the real world like you?"

Mari nodded. "Something like that. I can't really put it into words. One minute, I just...was." She shrugged. "I exist because people believe in my existence. And of course," She smiled shyly up at her lover, placing her hand on top of his. "Because all of you anchor me here. In any case, Yaldabaoth is something like a false god. He isn't real in the sense that people believed in him specifically, but more so that people didn't believe in anything."

"So..." Naoto grasped her chin thoughtfully, the explanation running through her head. "You're saying because of people's complacency, he gained power? Interesting..."

"People's complacency?" Yukiko blinked. "What do you mean? I don't think people actually wanted a god to take over..."

"Well..." Chewing on some fish, Naoto continued. "If you were in Tokyo at the time, you would understand. Rise, you said you were in the city then. Did you notice how people seemed to...not care?" She worded her question carefully. "As if nothing mattered. Shido Masayoshi outed himself on national television, but his approval rating stayed consistent as if the public ignored it."

Humming, Rise placed a manicured finger on her chin as she thought back. "Now that you say that, I _did_ notice everyone start acting like it never happened, as if...their minds were wiped of all free thought..." Sighing, she picked up a fruity non-alcoholic drink, taking off her designer sunglasses. "This is too much. Are you saying people wanted to be enslaved..?"

"Exactly." Mari nodded, smirking as the idol glared lightly at her. Seemed like that'll never change. "He was the personification of discord. That he was able to manifest in the real world, merging the Shadow world with Tokyo, meant that more than enough people desired it." 

They quieted at the thought. Did people really want to be enslaved again? Did they want it so much that their hearts bore another god to do it for them? 

"...But The Phantom Thieves kicked his ass, right?" Kanji asked hesitantly, his fingers gripping his cup. "We're all fine now, yeah?"

"Too fine." Yosuke groaned, laying down on the floor. "No one remembers but us."

Yu nodded in agreement. "My other links remembered too but they're starting to forget."

"Hey..." Chie began hesitantly, furrowing her brow at a thought. "Didn't we forget too? Like, for a couple minutes, even though I was on that Phantom Aficionado website, I didn't remember The Phantom Thieves..."

"Oh yeah..." Yukiko gasped in realization. "I hadn't noticed at the time, but now that you say it, I couldn't remember anything about them until the TV showed them fighting against the god." 

"Were we wiped?" Naoto furrowed her brow as she cross her arms in speculation. "We aren't immune, even with our Personas?" 

"Speaking of Personas..." Chie glared at Yu who guiltily looked down. "According to Yu, we still have them. We could've helped them, just like old times!"

He kept his head down. "It would've been too late...Naoto was in the city, and she didn't even get there in time." He shrugged passively. "It was fine. The Phantom Thieves defeated him, right?"

"Senpai..." Kanji furrowed his brow. "Why'd you lie to us? I thought...I thought Takeji-Zaiten was gone."

Sighing, Yu picked up the entire bottle of shochu before drinking straight from the rim, swallowing half of the bottle before slamming it against the table. He needed the alcohol for this. "I didn't lie. I only said they weren't needed anymore." He glared down at the table, not wanting to meet the gaze of his friends. He didn't want to see betrayal in their eyes. "I finished my contract with Igor and he disappeared. Once Marie became Mariko, there wasn't any more need for us to go into the TV world, so we were done. We said so ourselves, right?"

"But Sensei..." Teddie spoke quietly. "We could still fight, right? I know Kamui-Moshiri is still here..." He raised a hand to gently touched his chest. "In my heart."

"Yeah, but what was the point?" Yu retorted, taking another swig of his shochu. "There wasn't anyone to fight, there wasn't anyone to save. The fog was gone and we aren't needed. The Phantom Thieves are clearly our successors in the sense that they were chosen to deal with the new god, not us." He could admit he was bitter. As a teen, he never understood how his uncle could work long nights, smoke til his lungs turned black, and drank until he passed out. But now? Now he could _feel_ that sense of oldness. Trying to find ways to distract himself from realizing that their adventure was done. Their time was over.

"Yu..." Mari whispered, shifting her legs until she was right next to him, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sorry. If I knew this was how you felt, I would've opened the portal again. I would've tried harder to find Nose..." 

Letting out a sigh, he wrapped an arm around her as well, letting his hand rest on her hip. "No...I'm sorry. I should've been happy to stay here, becoming a detective like uncle, but..." He let out a bitter chuckle. "We went from our own heroes to just ordinary citizens. It's a little hard to move on, I guess, even though we said we would..." 

"Senpai..." Rise murmured, holding a hand near her chest as she heard his reasons. "I understand. I also felt a little lonely once we defeated Izanami-no-Okami. It was like..." She sniffed, eyes clouding with tears. "It was like everything was over, and, and we didn't have any reason to be friends anymore..."

Frowning softly, Yukiko reached out to hug the superstar. "Of course we would stay friends, Rise-chan...We went through so much together."

"Yeah, but..." She sniffed, leaning into the older woman's embrace. "We didn't have any reason to stay together besides that. Senpai left for a while, I tour all over Japan, Naoto's solving cases out of town...Maybe I'm being salty but sometimes, I feel like the only reason why we're all still together is because we think, any day now, we'd be able to jump back into the action again." 

Staring at the ornately carved ceiling, Yosuke exhaled despondently. "...I felt the same way. Like, once we beat the big boss, it was the end of our journey together." He huffed. "We promised to keep on moving on, to keep changing, but look at us now..."

Eyes darting from him to crying Rise to moody Yu, Kanji slammed his glass against the table. "C'mon, guys! So what if there's no action for us? We should be glad for that!" He argued weakly, tears also welling up in his eyes. "No one else is gettin' hurt while we're here, and we still have our Personas, right? If anyone gets hurt, or somethin' happens, we'll be there to help them!"

Biting her lip, Chie nodded determinedly. "You're right, Kanji. So what if there's no god for us to beat? Our job, our promise, is to help people. Whether or not it's with our Personas, we're still going to do it, right guys?" She swerved her head to her leader, a wide grin taking up her face. "Right, Yu?"

Gazing at her for a moment, Yu nodded, smiling faintly. Seemed he was forgiven. "Of course. Not just because we're police and we swore to protect the town, but also because that's how we roll. We're a team." 

"Agreed." Naoto smiled, pride shining in her eyes at her friends. "We'll continue like always."

"Our hearts beat as one!" Teddie cheered, raising a glass of shochu that Yosuke immediately took out of his hand.

"Now that we've established that," Kanji grinned, wiping his eyes of any tears. "Yukiko, what didja want to tell us?"

The inn owner perked up, sitting back in her seat. "Well. It's about Personas actually." She began. "You all know we've been inactive for almost a decade now. We haven't felt our inner selves in quite a long while. Today, though..." She paused, her hands gripping each other on her lap. "We received some new guests. A group of nine teenagers on a roadtrip. When I made eye contact with one of them, a brunette with red eyes, I felt Sumeo-Okami again, just for a split second."

They looked at her in surprise. "Whoa, really?" Yosuke quickly sat up from the mats, staring at her with wide eyes as he held Teddie's drink hostage. "You serious?"

She nodded. "And I'm not the only one. Chie?"

"Right." Chie scrunched up her face, scooting up to the table to grab a cup. "When I heard Yukiko's experience, I had to see for myself, so I sort of ambushed the group in the hallway while they were heading to the springs. They looked pretty interesting, to be honest. I've never seen so many attractive kids together in this town. Other than us, of course." She winked. "I got their first names and I also offered to show them around town tomorrow."

"Were there any cute girls?" Teddie asked hopefully, sliding a plate of rice down his mouth. "I hope they're cute!"

Rolling her eyes, the police officer continued. "When I made eye contact with the tall blond guy, I felt Haraedo-no-Okami again. Then I tried to walk past them and I accidentally brushed arms with him and..." She shuddered. "It felt like I was being shocked, like when Kanji would accidentally hit me!"

"Hey!" Kanji argued. "It was one time!...A-And another time..."

Reaching out with a hand, Naoto patted his back comfortingly. "So it felt like a Zio attack?" She asked. "And this only happened with one person specifically for you, right? Yukiko too?"

Yukiko nodded. "Yes. I didn't get the feeling when I was helping the chaperone, Kimisawa-san. Only with the other girl."

"We called Yu and he said they might be our counterparts." Chie explained, fidgeting with one leg. She turned to look at him. "What was it again?"

Swallowing a cup of sake, Yu nodded. "I said that each person in that group probably coincided with our's. I have a theory, actually..." He placed his cup down on the table. "I think they might be The Phantom Thieves."

"Huh?!" Everyone gasped, staring at him in shock. "Those kids?!" Chie yelped. "No way!"

Naoto crossed her arms. "We were young too when we fought a god. It's not impossible for it to be another group of teenagers. What were their names?"

"Uhh..." Chie furrowed her brow, trying to match each name with a description. "Airi for the pink haired girl, Akira for the black haired guy, Ann for the blonde haired girl, Ryuji for the blond haired guy, Makoto for the brunette, Yusuke for the blue haired one, Futaba with long orange hair, Haru with light brown hair, and Akechi with light brown hair too."

"Akechi? Akechi Goro?" Naoto pressed fervently, furrowing her brow. "He's here?"

"Oh!" Yukiko gasped. "You think that guy was Akechi Goro? The new detective prince that you were supposed to replace in Tokyo, right?"

Naoto nodded, frowning deeply. "Yes. He had disappeared just before Shido's confession...I had no idea that he was back, though. Where did he disappear to?"

Wiping the remnants of her tears, Rise sat up in her seat. "You think maybe...He was stuck in the TV?" She whispered hesitantly. "It's like when we were kidnapped, right? We disappeared without a trace because of Namatame-san, and Yu-senpai had to save us." 

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions, though." Mari advised, taking a bite of steamed fish. "I know that they're powerful Persona users, I can sense them a few meters away, but are they really The Phantom Thieves?"

The former detective prince stilled. "...He was the one heading the investigation against The Phantom Thieves. I heard from one of his former co-workers that he was very...concerned with needing to arrest the group. Is it possible that he discovered a portal into the TV world, and then joined The Phantom Thieves himself once they saved him? That's the only conclusion I can think of for why he would be with this group..."

"But The Phantom Thieves steal hearts, right?" Teddie asked naively, scratching the top of his head. "Is that really saving people?"

"Of course." Yu replied instantly, frowning faintly. "You guys remember that girl from high school? The one who was all about art? She skipped town to Tokyo. She became one of Madarame's pupils." He stated grimly. "It was because of him that she was killed, and it's only thanks to The Phantom Thieves that he's in jail now. Otherwise, I don't think anyone would've caught him."

Rise covered her mouth in horror. "That poor girl..! I think I remember. She was in our class, right Kanji?"

Kanji nodded. "Yeah, I remember. She left town as soon as we graduated..." He sighed heavily, downing another cup of shochu. "Guess we should thank those kids..."

"Tomorrow, then?" Mari proposed, lightly grasping her cup, her finger tracing the trim. "I'm getting more and more interested in these kids...Does one of them represent Hope?" 

"Tomorrow." Yu confirmed. They were going to confront The Phantom Thieves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Regarding religion and many god worships around the world, there are many studies concluded about how a god's power stems from the belief of their followers. The more followers = more power. In a lot of Japanese myths, small gods like tree gods and river gods "die" because no one believes in them anymore, and so they cease to exist as if they were never there. Forgotten. You can see it in a lot of animes too that have something to do with Japanese gods, like Kamisama Kiss and Natsume Yuujinchou.  
> -I'm pretty sure the kitsune in P4 is also some sort of minor god since it asks for donations as well as follow you into the TV world with healing powers. By creating a bond with it, it grew in power, healing you and bestowing better equipment as thanks. That's just my view on gods and power anyway lol  
> -I'll explain the Persona gods next chapter or the chapter after.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL I checked the date and then I saw it's been over a week since I posted the last chapter whoops. Guess you can't count on that one update per week thing i said
> 
> -Thank you for 2k hits and 70 kudos!

Scrunching up her nose as the sun shined directly her face, Airi slowly cracked open her eyes, blankly staring up at the wooden ceiling. Where was she? This wasn't her house...

Her blanket rustled and she slowly turned her head, seeing bundles of orange spilling all over her pillowcase as Futaba snuggled into her side, snoring quietly. Oh, right. They were in Inaba at the Amagi Inn.

Exhaling softly, she reached out for her phone, checking the time. 6:12AM. So that was why she was being assaulted by sunlight.

Smiling gently at the sight of the younger girl, Airi carefully extracted herself from the futon, making sure her yukata was tied correctly. They had left their clothes in the locker rooms to be cleaned by the staff, and they didn't bring any clothes since they didn't expect to stay away from home for so long, so all they had to wear were the thin robes.

Standing up, she quietly padded out of the room, sliding the door closed behind her. It was so quiet aside from Ryuji's loud snoring, meaning everyone else was still asleep. 

The ex-runner had been the last one to come back to the suite last night, stomping angrily into the room as they were having dinner. Ann had chewed him out, knowing he was trying to peek on them again and they got into a huge shouting match, ending up with the model ranting to the other girls in their room. When going to the bathroom, Airi could hear Ryuji doing the same thing in the boy's room.

She grinned, fondly shaking her head at the memory. After five years of knowing each other, they still couldn't help but argue at every turn.

After washing up in the bathroom, she walked back into the suite and blinked, noticing a certain brunette sitting near the large windows, staring out in the early morning countryside.

Walking over, she took a seat next to him, tucking her robe under her legs. "Good morning, Akechi." She whispered, giving him a small smile. "You're up early."

He glanced over at her before going back to watching the outside, eyeing the trees shining with morning dew. "I usually wake up around this time...You may call me Goro, if you want."

She blinked in surprise. "But...I thought you hated your name. You asked us to keep calling you Akechi." 

His hands which were resting in his lap, clenched tightly around his yukata. "Akechi is the name of the famous student detective who's kind and intelligent to everyone he meets, always willing to uphold justice in the name of the law."

His jaw tightened. "Goro...is a killer, willing to risk everything for nothing. I wanted...I wanted to believe I really _was_ the kind and intelligent person that the public believed I am to be. That I can just push all that behind me. That's why I asked you all to keep calling me by my surname."

She watched him as he said all this, feeling a pang in her chest at the self hate present in his furrowed eyes. "...What changed?"

He lips tightened, trying to resist the urge to bare his teeth. "...I can't keep lying to myself. The therapist said...They said that I have to accept that those were my actions. It's the only way I can come to peace with myself, but... I. Am. A. **Murderer**. A schemer, a liar, scum of the earth." He clenched his jaw. "How...How do I accept that I did all those things for nothing? I killed Sakura's mother. I killed Okumura's father. I tricked Niijima-san. I almost succeeded in killing Akira. I..."

He sighed sharply, resentment burning at his insides. "I almost threw this world into mindless slavery just for a chance to make my _father_ ," He spat out venomously. "Feel the same betrayal that my mother did." He turned to her, despair pulling at the edge of his lips. "Why would you still accept me back..?" 

Frowning sorrowfully, she slowly reached out and pulled him into an embrace, letting his head rest against her collarbone. She didn't know he still felt like this. She thought he was making good progress with the therapist. "Because you feel remorse." She whispered, rubbing his back comfortingly. "I'm not a psychologist, but you're not just a murderer. You're also intelligent, you're sharp, and kind of witty."

She listed off. "You're a student, a teenager who's working _way_ too much for his age, and can be kind of dumb when dealing with regular people who aren't expecting anything of you. We don't blame _you_ , we blame Yaldobaoth for all of this. He was manipulating you to do all this." 

She paused, trying to work out the next sentence. It was hard to talk about this since it was still fresh. "And yes, you killed people...You hurt a lot of innocent civilians. You had hurt _us_ the most...But that doesn't mean you're not human too. You had your reasons, and you're making up for them by going to your sessions. You're trying to atone, and that's all we ask for."

Holding himself stiffly, he slowly raised his arms, gripping the back of her robe as he hesitantly hugged her back. "...I suppose this is why everyone calls you "mom."" He chuckled bitterly, her heartbeat right in his ear. "...However, Loki is still within me. I am still corrupt." 

"That's OK, too." She smiled softly. "No one is completely pure. Even though Mementos is gone and Palaces aren't a thing anymore, that doesn't stop people being shitty. Plus, I think you having two Personas is pretty cool. You get two stylish outfits out of it, so..." 

He huffed in amusement. "I suppose that's true..." He slowly closed his eyes, being lulled into a calm by the steady heartbeat. "...Thank you."

"Sure, Go-kun." 

He grimaced. "...Really. You're going to bring that up again."

She snickered, trying to be quiet as the others were still sleeping. She was going to use that old nickname for years to come. 

A hand came in between them and pulled Akechi away by the collar of his yukata. The other hand was being used to mess up the already disheveled mop that was Akira's hair as he glared down at the detective, eyes still half lidded from just waking up. "Hands off." 

Rolling his eyes at his leader's possessiveness, Akechi got up and walked to the bathroom, leaving the couple alone. Plopping down onto the tatami, Akira replaced his previous spot, snuggling into his former class president's warm chest. He sighed in content as he could still smell her usual calming scent.

She looked down at him in amusement, patting the uncontrollable curls as a small blush heated her cheeks from where he was rubbing his face into. "Good morning, my human sheep dog." 

"Morning..." He yawned, arms encircling her waist. "Sheep dog?" 

She tugged lightly at a couple of strands, brushing some of it out of his eyes with a hand. "Since your hair basically covers your eyes? Yeah, sheep dog. Maybe you should get a haircut..."

He stilled, looking up at her with a raised brow. "Should I? I've never really cared..."

She pursed her lips, pushing him back a bit to examine him. The hair was kind of his signature style, the messy stylish curls both abiding by school regulation and still rebellious by framing his slim jaw perfectly, highlighting his dangerous eyes. They were accentuated by his long lashes, which were still the prettiest she had ever seen on a man.

She might be biased. "...Nah. The "just rolled out of bed" hair looks good on you." 

He smirked at the compliment, the action agreeing with her assessment of him and he leaned up, lightly pressing his lips against her own. She reciprocated, closing her eyes as she could feel his warmth and affection through the slightly chapped touch. She cherished these small moments of theirs'.

Giving her one more peck, he leaned their foreheads together, staring into her eyes as he rested his weight on his palms at her sides. "Aren't you just saying that because it looks like I fooled around?" He whispered slyly. Bringing a hand up to tug at her loose rose strands that fell around her shoulders, he sighed forlornly. "If only you could sport some sex hair too, then we'd really have a couple style going on..." 

She rolled her eyes, giving him another light kiss with her mouth closed before pushing him away. He was always more teasing in the morning. "I'm not sporting any sort of "sex hair," thanks. Go brush your teeth, smelly one. I'm going to go wake up the others since Satonaka-san might be here soon." 

Snickering, he quickly breathed out of his mouth right in her face before dashing to the bathroom, laughing loudly as she let out a disgusted groan. 

She rubbed at her nose, trying to get the stale scent out of her nostrils. At least he was having fun.

Getting up from the floor, she went to open the rooms, letting the sunlight stream onto the sleeping teens. "Good morning!!! Wake up, guys. We have a busy day today..."

###### 

Stepping out of the shower, Yu wrapped a towel around his waist before walking over to the bedroom. Grabbing a pair of boxers, he slid them up his legs and rummaged through his briefcase.

This was something that he never allowed anyone else to touch, even Mari. It contained all the files he was working on currently, not that there were much to begin with since crime wasn't a large problem for a small town like this.

Taking out his most recent file, his eyes caught the small velvet box he had tucked into the side and he sighed. He bought it a couple years ago, when the high of being a hero faded. He thought since they had been going strong for years, he might as well, right?

But he hesitated, never finding the right time. It could've been during Nanako's tenth birthday but he chickened out, thinking maybe it should be more romantic. Then it happened again and again and in the end, he never did it.

He never proposed. 

He could tell that Mari was expecting something from him back then, but as the years came and went, she just sort of accepted that they were going to be boyfriend and girlfriend forever. If he even lived that long. He didn't know if she could die. Maybe when he would be old and frail, she'd still be young and immortal since she wasn't human. Either way, he'd still love her until he passed.

"Yu? Breakfast is ready!" 

"Coming!" He called out, closing the attache case. He wouldn't let her see that ring unless he was popping the question. Disregarding a shirt, he headed downstairs in only his boxers, walking up behind Mari to give her a hug and a kiss on her shoulder. "Morning." 

She smiled up at him, dressed in a large t-shirt. "Morning." She eyed his half naked form with interest, biting her lip as she focused on his muscular torso, his six pack out for the world to see. "...Are you asking for something?"

He blinked as he took a seat at the small dining table, salivating at the breakfast in front of him. Her food still looked weird, the eggs being lumpy and the fish was green for some reason, but after years of experience, he knew it was still fantastic. "What am I asking for?"

She took a seat opposite of him, picking up her chopsticks. "You know..." She gestured to his bare torso. 

He looked down at himself, furrowing his brow, before giving her a confused look. "Uh...I got out of the shower." 

Sighing, she shook her head. "Never mind. We're meeting those kids today, right?" 

Digging into his meal, he nodded, swallowing the mouthful of food. "Yeah. Chie's going to pick them up from the inn and she's going to bring them to the shrine. It should be empty at this time."

She pursed her lips, chewing on the rice. "So you think it's going to be a fight?" 

He shook his head. "Nah. If they really are the Phantom Thieves, they wouldn't be starting fights. I don't know why, but I feel like they're good kids." He smiled slightly bittersweet. "They're probably riding off the high of their victory right now." 

Her chopsticks stilled and she looked up at him in concern. "...Do you want me to open the portal again? At least once. You've been so sad lately, and last night kinda confirmed it..."

He looked up at her in surprise.

"Don't give me that look. Did you forget who I am? We've been together for almost _ten years_ , Yu." She stressed, frowning softly. "You think I wouldn't notice you getting more and more depressed? C'mon." 

His lips tightened. "It's my problem. I'm the only one who's been affected like this. I just...didn't want to worry you or any of the others."

She slammed her hands against the table, shooting up from her chair. "Didn't want to worry me?!" She glared at him. "Of course I'd worry! Whether or not you want me to, I'm gonna worry anyway 'cause I love you! You're not in this alone, OK! I've been with you every step of the way, but you..!" She stopped, clenching her fists as she ducked her head. "YoustupidIdiotjerkface!" 

Fighting back a smile at her old tsundere habit, he stood up and gathered her in his arms. "You're right...I'm sorry. I just didn't want to bring you down with me." He stared at the wall as he spoke, idly tracing the lines in the old plaster as he rested his hands at her small hips. "The shrink at work said I need to get out of this slump too, so I'll try..." 

She leaned against his hard chest, breathing in the scent of his soap and his aftershave. "Good. I don't like seeing you sad, OK? If you want me to use my powers, I will...I'd do anything for you." 

Smiling at her confession, he leaned down to kiss her, their lips moving in tandem as they shared their ageless love together. Whimpering as he expertly explored her mouth, Mari gripped his arms and move back, panting quietly as her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and excitement. "Y-You jerk, you always do that...W-We should finish eating and get going..." 

Smirking at her reaction, Yu sat back down again and picked up his chopsticks. "Of course, honey." 

###### 

Looking up from her phone as she heard multiple footsteps coming down the hall, Chie gave the group a nervous grin. "Mornin', kids!"

Since she wasn't on shift right now, she was dressed in a white shirt, green jacket, and green skirt. Her legs were covered with white leggings, bright green converses covering her feet. This made sure that she'd be ready for a fight, just in case. "Ready to see all of Inaba within two hours?"

Ann gave her a sunny grin, slightly nervous for today's events. "I'm sure there's lots to see! Oh, maybe we can do some shopping? Are there any good clothes stores around here?'

The police officer tapped her chin. "Well...It's not really a clothing store, but my friend Kanji has a textile store! He sells handmade dolls too if you're interested. Otherwise, we have Junes for it."

Akira snorted, shouldering his bag with Morgana inside. "Of course there's a Junes here."

The others blinked. "Junes?" Makoto asked curiously. "Is...that a store?" 

"It's a super chain." He explained quietly. "They have a supermarket, clothing store, electronics, food court, and whatever else you might need or want. They're pretty popular in the countryside, but I never saw one in Tokyo."

Haru nodded in understanding. "That would make sense. A store like that in the city would absolutely ruin the economy, running several stores out of business due to not being able to compete with the, I assume, low prices." She theorized. "In the countryside, it would be convenient to have, and it would create jobs for the locals."

Chie could only blink in surprise at the amount of knowledge she held. "Y-Yeah, that's right. My friend Yu is from the city and he said the same thing." The opportunity was open now. "Actually, we could meet him and my other friends right now! We know all around Inaba, after all!"

Slightly narrowing his eyes, Akechi plastered a smile on his face. "That sounds absolutely wonderful! Shall we go then?" 

"Sure!" Chie grinned, walking over to the entrance. "If you're comfortable with walking, it's only a twenty minute journey to the shopping district!" 

Futaba slowly leaned out from behind Airi, shyly looking up at the police officer. "...Are there any cool shops there?"

She nodded. "Yeah. We have a tofu shop, textile shop, plastic model store," She listed off with her fingers. "And we have an actual blacksmith in town!"

Yusuke perked up. "A blacksmith? The oldest form of art in Japan..." A small smile grew on his lips. "I would like to visit this shop, if it isn't too much trouble." 

They chatted together as they walked toward the heart of Inaba, slowly getting to know each other. The only one who stayed silent was Ryuji, drilling holes in the adult's back with his eyes, resting his thumbs in the pockets of his 777 jacket.

Hanging near the back of the group with him, Akira nudged him in the side. "What's up?" He asked quietly.

Ryuji grunted, scrunching up his face. "Don't know. I just..." He shrugged. "It's just weird, y'know. You haven't felt that feeling yet. It's like I'm seein' myself in front of me, but also not..?" He ruffled his hair in aggravation. "It's like an itch...I dunno how to explain."

He slung an arm around the ex-runner's neck. "C'mon, it'll be fine." Akira assured. "Maybe you guys should shake hands later to really get that feeling out of the way? From how she worded it earlier..." He watched the police officer, narrowing his eyes. "It sounds like her entire team will be there. If Morgana's correct, we all have a counterpart."

His bag rumbled and said feline sneaked his head out of the small opening. "That's right." He meowed quietly. "More importantly, we're getting closer to that god I'm sensing." 

Overhearing the feline, Akechi slowed down slightly to match his pace with their's. "You're sure?" He asked fervently, brows furrowed with apprehension. "Is this god...distorted?"

Twitching his whiskers, Morgana shook his head. "No. I feel the remnants of distortion in this town's vicinity, but it's faint. It's probably been years since." 

Akira nodded in understanding, quirking his lips at the information. "You know anything else about this group?"

"No." Morgana replied quietly, flicking an ear. "I was born after whatever had happened here, so I never knew. However, I _can_  sense the distortions and arcanas because I was given this ability by my master." 

"We're here!" Chie announced, spreading her arms out. 

They had arrived at the shopping district, small stores lining up the street that lead uphill. To the left of them was a MOEL gas station, a male attendant filling up a car. Past that was a quaint bookstore, advertising the newest novels that weren't new anymore in the city. After that was a dark shop, an antique samurai armor set outside. If they sharpened their ears, they could hear the telltale sounds of a hammer hitting metal. Next to that was a small shop inside a house, the scent of soy drifting through the air in their direction.

They walked down the street, marveling at the different kinds of goods that could be bought here. "Wow..." Airi raised her brows at the sight of real katanas inside the blacksmith's shop. "Yusuke, look! Maybe you should get one." 

Peering into the store, he analyzed the vast amounts of different weaponry, armor, and other such metal crafts with a raised brow. "How fascinating...May we go in?"

"Maybe later!" Chie smiled, checking the inside for the store owner but to no avail. "Old man Daidara's out for lunch right now. I'm sure you'd want to ask him all sorts of questions!"

"Indeed..." He murmured excitedly, already forming a list in his head. 

They passed by the old medicinal store, wrinkling their noses at the strong smell of herbs, and they headed up the hill, spotting a bright red torii and a small Japanese shrine. "Here we are!" Chie gestured. "My friends are there. Let's go say hi!"

Glancing at each other, the Phantom Thieves nodded and with a deep breath, took a step inside the shrine. Immediately, they could feel some sort of lightness in the air, as if any pollutants in this small city was being purified on this land.

Taking a few steps in, they stopped, staring at the group sitting on the steps of the shrine house.

A tall and muscular man sat to the side, his black hair and glasses worn impeccably. Even though he was dressed as a well respected adult in a white button up and black slacks, there was a hint of raw brashness in his eyes, countering the image he made.

To his side was a short but well endowed woman, her short blue hair catching the afternoon sunlight. She was dressed in a dark blue trench coat that hugged her curves, her sharp eyes examining them like a magnifier glass. 

Next to her was Yukiko, now dressed in a dark red double breasted coat and long black skirt. Her beautiful long black hair was braided into a bun, showing off her slim neck that was kept warm with a red scarf. She gave them a small smile in greeting.

Then it was a short and slim woman in a white dress shirt and black skirt, crossing her arms over her small chest. Her short black hair was parted in the middle, showing her dark gray eyes that were narrowed in their direction. 

On the opposite side was a beautiful young woman, dressed in obviously designer brand clothing that showed off her full and rich figure. Her dark red hair was held up in two buns, a pair of sunglasses between them. Red lips were pulled into a smile as she winked at them, waving hi with a manicured hand.

Next to her was a slim blond haired young man, his blue eyes as clear as a countryside river. His hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, the strands falling perfectly in place. His ruffled dress shirt showed off the top of his chest, his legs encased in black leather pants. He gave the girls a wink, blowing a kiss in their direction.

He was pushed by the guy next to him, dressed in a white fur trimmed trench coat that was left open, showing his orange shirt and orange headphones. His short brown hair was also parted in the middle, framing his warm brown eyes.

And in the middle of them all was the plainest man, dressed in a white dress shirt that wasn't fully buttoned at the top, a black blazer, and black slacks covering his long legs. His gray hair was kept short and professional, coiffed for a little style.

His steel gray eyes narrowed at their appearance and he stood up, giving them a calm smile. "Welcome to Inaba. I'm Narukami Yu."

Feeling the answering pull of Satanael in his chest, Akira stared at his counterpart before his lips grew into a smirk. "Thanks." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be a lot more affection and romance shown in this fic than in the other one since the oTHER ONE HAS TAKEN LIKE 100+ CHAPTERS AND THE RELATIONSHIP STILL ISN'T ESTABLISHED HAHAH A ha h a i m s o r r y i want to get to the romance too


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for 2.6K hits and 89 kudos!! And 11 bookmarks, wow!

The smile grew on his lips as the familiar tug of Izanagi-no-Okami pulsed in his chest, the warm tingling feeling extending throughout his body all the way to the tips of his fingers. So this was his successor, huh? 

Yu observed the other group, noting their ridiculously good looks as they stood silently in front of them. If he didn't know better, he would've assumed they were shooting a movie.

There was the foreigner, her natural light blonde hair held up in two loosely curled ponytails, framing her heart shaped face and her sky blue eyes. Though she had European features, he could also see hints of her Japanese heritage through the shape of her eyes and nose. Dressed in a sports jersey on top of a lavender button up and white skirt, she exuded confidence that was rarely seen in a teenager.

Next to her was another blond, though his short locks were obviously bleached. He stood five inches taller, his spine curving outward as he slouched his back, resting his thumbs in his pockets. His dark brown eyes were narrowed, his short brows furrowed as he tensed his arms inside a purple 777 jacket, hiding a black graphic t-shirt. His long legs were encompassed in a pair of black jeans, but even through that, Yu could tell he had muscles that were perfect for breaking into a sprint. 

Standing at the tallest was another male teenager, his gray eyes observed them impassively, framed by thick lashes. His dark blue hair, almost the same shade as Naoto's, was styled into a sleek bob, his bangs occasionally falling into his vision. The beige pin striped blazer he wore enhanced his slim shoulders, the pink shirt underneath giving a splash of color. Black pants slimmed his long legs, a pair of keys jingling on his thigh as he shifted his stance.

Red eyes was his first note of the girl, piercing through his person and analyzing his every strength and weakness. Her short brown hair framed her face and her petite stature, just barely brushing her blue jacket that covered a black turtleneck. Her black pants emphasized how small she was, but he could see them tense, the muscles firm underneath from years of martial arts.

Skittish. She peeked out from behind his counterpart, her long orange hair falling past her waist. Large gray purple eyes, framed with a large pair of glasses, peered at them apprehensively, huddling in her khaki green jacket. She must be cold in just her thin white tanktop that fell off a small shoulder, short shorts showing the white of her thighs before being covered with black tights and boots. 

Taking a step forward to help shield her was another young woman, her light pink hair the first thing that caught his eye, braided into a fishtail that rested on her left shoulder. Also sporting red eyes, her's were much warmer as she gave them a nod and a small smile while tightening her beige trench coat, hiding her dark purple blouse and black skirt. Black tights enveloped her slim legs, a pair of heels on her feet making her seem a little taller than she actually was.

Also smiling kindly at them was another girl, standing at the same height. Her dusty blue coat covered her figure, only a hint of a pink skirt peeking out at the hem. Wearing white tights and cream colored pumps, she swept some of her short light brown hair behind an ear, giving off a very sweet and innocent image with her warm brown eyes.

Smiling politely with a handsome face, the last male in the group swept his gaze over them. He idly swept some of his brown hair out of his eyes, the style shaggy but attractive. He wore a blue diamond patterned knit vest on top of a white button up, his beige slacks ironed impeccably on his long legs. The sun dimmed as a few clouds drifted by, and Yu swore that the teenager's brown eyes glowed red in the darkness, his gaze cold but warm at the same time. It sent a shiver down his spine.

Eyes sliding back to the center of the group, he took in his successor. Wild and messy black hair gave off the image of someone who didn't care, but the sharp intelligence behind his gray eyes betrayed that. He also sported some thick lashes, softening the hint of mischief in his expression. A black blazer covered a white shirt, simple but classy. Blue jeans, worn from continuous wear, hid the toned muscles in his legs as he shifted his balance. Brown boots were spaced evenly as he rested his hands in his pockets, smirking confidently in their direction even though he was three inches shorter than him.

All in all, they certainly looked like a group of Persona users.

Chie darted over to their side, giving them an apologetic grin. "So, uh...These are my friends!" She gestured to the Investigation Team. "This is Tatsumi Kanji, Shirogane Naoto, Kusumi Mariko, Kujikawa Rise, Teddie, Hanamura Yosuke, and Amagi Yukiko who you already know. Last but not least, this is Narukami Yu!" She introduced her group, gesturing to each person before turning back to the Phantom Thieves. "Can you guys introduce yourselves? I didn't get your last names, so..."

Glancing at the others and getting the nod of approval from Akira, Airi stepped forward. "It's nice to meet all of you." She smiled politely, bowing as a greeting. "This is a very warm welcome for a small town. My name is Kimisawa Airi, and this is Takamaki Ann, Sakamoto Ryuji, Kitagawa Yusuke, Niijima Makoto, Sakura Futaba, Okumura Haru, and Akechi Goro." A sly smile grew on her face as she gestured to her leader, copying how the police officer introduced her friends. "Last but not least, this is Kurusu Akira." 

"Oh..?" Naoto sharpened her eyes as she took a step forward, meeting gazes with her successor. "Akechi Goro. It's a pleasure to finally meet my successor face to face." 

He stared down at her for a moment before a polite smile grew on his face. "Shirogane Naoto, the first and original Detective Prince. I must confess, I'm very surprised to see you in this small town given the demand for your skills."

"Same to you." She retorted coolly. "I certainly hadn't expected the second Detective Prince to show up here of all places after disappearing in the middle of his investigation." 

The smile stayed frozen on his face even as his eyes slowly narrowed. "I assure you, there were some...extenuating circumstances."

Furrowing his brow as the tension rose between the two detectives, Kanji slowly rose from his seat on the steps. "Oi, Naoto, calm down." He soothed, even though his voice stayed gruff as always. "We don't need ta be startin' fights already."

"So you were expecting hostility from us? Interesting to know." Yusuke remarked as he stared imperturbably at his counterpart, feeling Kamu Susano-o fluctuate in his chest.

The textile shop owner stared at him in shock, feeling Takeji Zaiten for the first time in years. It was like he was breathing again for the first time after who knows how long under water. The first gasp of air was always sweet. "What..?"

Taking off her designer sunglasses, Rise jumped up from her seat as well, dusting off her high end jacket. "What's wrong, Kanji?" She blinked. "Are you feeling it already?"

He nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off the effeminate teen. "Uh, yeah...Don't you?"

Humming, she scanned the crowd, stopping on the model. "Oh!" She perked up. "I know you! I've seen your face before in one of the magazines I used to work for!" She blinked rapidly at feeling the gentle pulse of Kouzeon. "I'm Rise, it's nice to meet you..?"

"As in Risette, right?" Ann gasped, clapping her hands together. "I'm a big fan of your work! You're one of the few models I look up to because you started at the same age as me!" She grinned, knowing Hecate had felt the similar thrum. 

She nodded with a smile. "Yep, that's me! I'm happy to know someone as beautiful as you would look up to me!" She giggled. "Especially since you're taller than me. Maybe we can work together one day? I have that fashion show in the summer and I know they're still looking for models." 

Her baby blue eyes shined with elation. "Really?!" Ann breathed. "To be able to work with Risette would be a dream come true! This'll be a great way to see how I've grown as a model!"

Airi smiled at her friend's excitement. "I'm glad for you, Ann. Maybe I should tell Shiho-chan how hard you fangirled..." She teased before turning to look at the other group again, stopping at the short black haired woman. She didn't feel what the others felt, rather, it was more of an undercurrent. That feeling of _knowing_ what was in front of her synced with her Persona, confirming what she thought. This was her counterpart yet also not. She was more.

Her cold gray eyes stared back, her hands balling into fists. "Who are you..?" Mari whispered, taking a step back. This girl in front of her was like seeing a mirror image, but everything was _wrong_. She wasn't enough. They were the same but it didn't make sense. Was it because she was a god? "Are you human..?"

She raised a brow and she glanced at the other thieves, noting their similar confused expressions. "Am I...not?" Airi asked hesitantly. "I'm pretty sure I am. I was born to two normal parents, had a..." She paused, not wanting to divulge her past to these somewhat strangers. ""Normal" life. Is there a reason you're asking that, Kami-san?"

Mari's eye's widened. ""Kami-san"? Then you know? Wait," She narrowed her eyes. "Not "-sama"?" 

Red eyes sharpened and a cool smile appeared on Makoto's face. "So you _are_ the god." She confirmed. "But you look human...Had something special happened?"

"Why don't we have a chat, Niijima-chan?" Yukiko offered calmly, slightly nervous as Sumeo-Okami reacted even stronger this time, now more awake than yesterday. "I think we should come clean with each other."

Haru beamed, clasping her hands in front of her puffy coat. "Yes, we should! I wouldn't want to get into a fight without knowing all the details." 

Oohing at the pleasant and charming teenager, Teddie jumped up from his seat on the stairs and with two long strides, bowed theatrically in front of her. "My dear beauty!" He began, taking a freshly bloomed rose from who knows where and holding it out to the young heiress. "You are just as lovely as this rose! Please accept my gift and offer to have dinner with me?"

She tilted her head as she observed the Romantic. "Teddie, right? I'm sorry but I'm not interested. I wouldn't want to hurt you if we turn out to be enemies." She bowed politely.

He held a hand to his chest, grasping his heart as he gasped in despair. "Oh..! To be rejected with such an enchanting response, it quickens yet injures my heart!" 

Rolling his eyes at his employee's dramatics, Yosuke stretched his arms up in the air before getting up. Grasping his collar, he pulled Teddie back and away from Haru. "Cool it, Romeo. Didn't you hear her say we might be enemies?" He furrowed his brow as he scanned the group, not feeling any response from his Persona. "Uh...Don't I have a counterpart, too?" 

"Inari!"

They all turned to watch as Futaba knelt in the grass, gesturing toward the skulk of foxes that slowly approached from the small forest. They leaned against her, brushing their sleek red fur against her jacket and she grinned in delight. She held out the AUX cord of her headphones and waved it around, teasing the foxes to play. 

Yusuke slowly blinked as he took in the sight. "Are you referring to me?" He tilted his head as he examined the orange hair with orange fur. "The textures of their hair are completely different, and yet..." He held his hands up in a frame as inspiration hit. "Yes...I can see my next piece!"

Her brows rose as Airi felt the familiar hum of other powers, emanating from the usually wild animals. "Are they...gods, too?" She joined the hacker in the grass, luring a fox over with a piece of plant. Snickering softly, it leaned up and licked her nose as a greeting. She giggled at the wet and slimy feeling and reached out to pet it. "Hello, Kitsune-san."

Yu stared in surprise, resting his hands in his pockets. "They don't usually approach strangers like that." They usually only came to him when no one else was here. They didn't even like Mari, which was evident as they kept a wide berth from her even now. The Kitsune he befriended wasn't a Persona user, but it had followed them into the TV. Could they be this girl's, Futaba's, counterparts?

Akira glanced over at him as he felt his bag rumble slightly. "Really? Well, I'm not surprised they took to those two so well." He brought his hand up to adjust his glasses but silently cursed as he remembered he stopped wearing them. "Anyway...Yu, right?"

The investigation leader nodded. "And Akira, right?"

They held their gaze, one slightly shorter than the other as they let the commotion around them fade in the background. Slowly raising his arm, Akira held his hand out to the other Persona user. This would confirm whatever thoughts he had about the older man.

Eyeing the open invitation, Yu hesitantly accepted, gasping as the touch burnt and cooled his hand at the same time. It was like being bathed in light while being burned alive with the hottest embers of the underworld.

The phantom thief leader widened his eyes as the touch of their skin sent zaps of electricity, charred from fire, cut from wind, and frozen from ice. His hand felt like it was on being obliterated as it was fried from the multitude of elements.

Catching the attention of everyone else, they watched with wide eyes as the two leaders joined hands, the power of the other world seeping through their auras. The atmosphere in the shrine began to bleed purple, pulsing gently but stronger with each second they stayed connected. As if the Metaverse was being summoned within this tiny space. 

The sun was darkened and blocked out as purple clouds invaded the sky, covering the area in darkness. Mari looked up in shock, trying to force her powers to reverse the effects but to no avail. Whatever that was happening was stronger than her.

Trying to let go, they found that they couldn't, as if their powers refused. They looked up in panic at each other.

A sword sang out in the air as it was raised, a white and gold Persona materializing behind Yu. Its double breasted white coat fluttered around its robotic legs, stood up on stiletto blades. Its visor glowed red beneath its white helmet-like head, staring impassively. Izanagi-no-Okami stood behind his wielder with his sword drawn, silent and protective even after ten years.

The sound of a gun cocking drew their attention, six leathery wings flapping as the embodiment of humanity's rebellion was drawn from the shadows. The large gold and steel gray horns jutted from its head intimidatingly, its red scleras staring down at the other god from beneath a golden mask. Its large golden pauldrons broadened its shoulders, exaggerating its slim waist and large hips that were covered in a tight gentleman's suit. The blood red sash on its person glowed darkly as it lifted its gun, the light reflecting off its metal halo. Satanael hovered behind his master, his fangs glinting sadistically.

The others stared in awe at seeing these two colossal gods clash in this small space, the trees and leaves being blown back from their sheer presence. Futaba huddled behind Airi and Yusuke as the wind continued to pick up, covering her face as she struggled to see. "What's going on..?!"

Taking the initiative, Ryuji turned back and covered Ann with his arms, his baggy sweater shielding her from the display. "Close your eyes!"

Kanji covered Naoto and Rise as they held their arms up protectively, his large frame just barely withstanding the gales. Their jackets and skirts flapped from the harsh winds as the energy crackled, creating a cyclone within the shrine property.

Standing at attention, the foxes howled a warning, snapping the humans out of their stupor.

Rushing forward, both Mari and Airi grabbed their respective leaders and pulled them back, gripping their wrists. "C'mon, let go!" Airi yelled, her voice barely louder than the wind as her braid whipped in her face. 

With a yell, they finally disconnected, falling to the ground with a tumble. In an instant, everything snapped back to normal as if nothing happened. Freezing mid-air from the absence of wind, the blown leaves fell gently to the floor, the trees back in their rightful positions. The sun shone down gently as if it was a peaceful day, no sight of dark purple clouds anywhere in the sky.

Breathing heavily at what had just occurred, Yu and Akira slowly sat up and stared at each other. 

"Whoa..." Ryuji gaped, straightening up from his crouch as he took his arms away from Ann. "What the fuck..?" 

Lifting up a shaky hand, Yosuke wiped away the beads of sweat that dripped from his forehead at the manifestations. "Yeah, what just happened..?" 

"Both Worlds have collided."

Jumping out of the bag, Morgana padded to a spot between the two parties, a firm gaze on his face. "There are no forces in the worlds that could've predicted you two meeting." 

Airi furrowed her brow, her hands still on Akira's shoulder to support him. "The World? You mean..."

He nodded, sitting down on the stone ground. "Yes. These two have both saved this plane of existence, therefore they've reached the end of their journeys." He idly licked a paw. "My master never intended this to happen as one journey never connects with the next, but since it has, it means it begins again." 

Akira frowned. "Another journey? You mean another god, or..?"

He shook his head. "No, at least not yet. There are no signs of another god emerging from the depths of the Metaverse, but-"

"Are you guys talking to the cat..?" Chie asked awkwardly, giving the thieves an odd look. She didn't hear anything except its meows, though it was pretty cute.

Teddie turned to her, confusion clouding his eyes. "You don't hear him?" He could hear him just fine.

Mari stared down at the feline, realization dawning upon her. "I see...You're one of Nose's servants." She sat back on her knees next to her leader. "Where is he? I've been trying to find him for ages."

Morgana shrugged. "I can't call upon him. He can, however, reach out to me. I assume every inhabitant of the other world felt that demonstration of power, and it would get his attention as well."

Kanji clasped his hands together as he stared at the cat. "I'm not understandin' anything he says, but..." He bit his lip but couldn't contain his excitement. "He's so cute! He just keeps meowing and meowing!"

Yosuke stared in disbelief as he finally felt Takehaya Susano-o awaken in his heart again. "My counterpart's a cat?!"

Snapping his head in his direction, Morgana glared, even as Mercurius chuckled in his head. "I'm not a cat by choice!"

The Junes Manager scrunched up his face as the feline yowled at him, unable to understand anything he said. "Uh...I have a feeling it yelled at me..."

The others slowly got up, brushing off the leaves and debris that had blown on their persons. "Maybe we should have that chat now..." Futaba suggested nervously, fiddling with her jacket zipper. "Y'know, get negotiations out of the way to complete this sidequest?"

Slowly breathing out, Makoto nodded. "I agree. Shall we talk now? Or," She narrowed her eyes at the other group. "...Should we have another demonstration?"

Naoto held out her hands. "Calm down." She requested coolly, a little rattled from earlier. "We're not here for a fight." 

Haru smiled knowingly. "So you say, but we don't really know each other, do we?" 

Wiping any sort of politeness from his face, Akechi crossed his arms and glared. "We'll talk if you promise to restrain your "god." We don't need her to enslave our minds at your command."

Mari snapped her head over at him, a stormy expression clouding her face as she clenched her fists. "What was that..? I don't need to be restrained!" 

"Forgive us if we're skeptical." Yusuke replied calmly. "We don't quite trust "gods."" 

"Hey." Akira quietly called out to his team, getting up from the floor with a wince. He experimentally flexed his hand, making sure it was still attached to his arm. "Calm down, guys." 

Following his example, Yu stood up as well. "Yeah, let's all talk calmly about this." He brushed off his slacks. "I'm sure we all have questions and we probably have the answers. Let's take a seat inside the shrine and talk about this." He offered, gesturing inside the small shrine building. It had a room for praying, but it was big enough to house all nineteen of them. He didn't need any civilians walking in to see this.

The foxes gave their permission, running by him to get there first. Nodding hesitantly, the two Persona groups walked inside, taking off their shoes at the steps. Padding inside in their socks, they took a seat on the polished wood grain floors, one team in front of the other. The foxes sat between them, acting as a neutral party.

"I'll start first?" Yu offered, getting a nod from the phantom thief leader. "We call ourselves the Investigation Team. My name is Narukami Yu, and my own Persona is Izanagi-no-Okami. I have other Personas, but they aren't really my own. Ten years ago in this town, we fought Mari here because of the fog," He gestured to his right where Mari was sat. "She's originally Izanami-no-Okami, a god from the TV world."

The phantom thieves raised their brows at the familiar names, ones that were uttered in ancient Japanese legend. "Izanagi and Izanami?" Airi blinked. "As in the Shinto Gods?" 

Heaving a sigh, Mari crossed her arms. "Yes and no. The gods you're familiar with aren't me, but they are me. I exist because enough people believed in the story, and it birthed me and every other Shadow. I'm not really her, more of a reflection of how people view her."

Ryuji scratched the back of his head. "I only heard the story once, but aren't they married? So you guys are a couple too, right?"

Yu nodded. "Yeah, something like that. That's not the real reason why we're together, but it's just something that we have." He raised a hand to his chest, feeling Izanagi's answering hum. 

Futaba reached out to pet a fox. "You said TV world..? You mean the Metaverse, right?"

Rise tilted her head. ""Metaverse"? I don't think we've ever heard of that term...Is that what you call the other world where Shadows live?"

Ann nodded as she idly played with a ponytail. "Yep. It's the world where people's dreams and thoughts become physical. Why do you guys call it the TV world?" 

Yukiko cleared her throat. "Well, we used to enter into that world through TV screens." She smiled nostalgically. "We would use the large plasma screen in June's to enter. It was due to Mari-chan's power." 

Akechi rolled his eyes, sitting stiffly in his seiza position. "Back to the "god" again. How many people have you harmed as you tried to "save" humanity?" He frowned, eyes darkening as he scrutinized the weather reporter. "Who died as a result?"

She flinched and looked away. "I'm not like Yaldabaoth. I'm here because my friends believe in me. I didn't..." She bit her lip. "I didn't want to _hurt_ anyone. I was torn from humanity's want for salvation and their need for freedom. I was split for a long time, and the memories are still really hazy..."

Yu reached out to softly grasp her hand, silently supporting her. "We've already forgiven her, so if you could refrain from trying to bring back bad memories..?"

"Right. I apologize if we've made you uncomfortable." Airi smiled sheepishly as she leaned over to lightly pinch Akechi. He winced and glared at her, rubbing his mild injury. "So...you defeated Izanami-no-Okami in this town? And this is your Persona group then?"

Chie grinned. "Yeah! We all overcame our self doubts and fears to gain our Personas! Mine is Haraedo-no-Okami and I specialize in ice!" 

Teddie perked up. "Oh, are we sharing now? My Persona is Kamui-Moshiri and I can do anythingggg!" He smiled radiantly. "Well, I do ice too, but I'm also a healer and a guide!" 

Naoto straightened up in her seat. "My Persona is Yamato Sumeragi and I'm a jack of trades." She explained calmly. "I have a lot of Almighty spells at my disposal."

Yukiko smiled at the thieves. "My Persona is Sumeo-Okami and I'm a fire user. I guess it comes from my love of red?" She shrugged, picking at her red jacket.

Kanji rubbed his nose as he adjusted his glasses. "My Persona's Takeji Zaiten and I do electric attacks. Or well, used to? I guess..."

Rise beamed. "My Persona's Kouzeon and I'm fully support! I do all the mapping out and information, as well as the occasional healing and powering up."

Yosuke grinned lightheartedly. "My Persona's Takehaya Susano-o and I'm a wind user! Don't do much of that these days, though..."

The thieves glanced at each other. "So," Makoto began slowly, mulling the information in her head. "You all have Personas based on Japanese gods? Wait," She blinked. "Susano-o?"

She turned to Yusuke who crossed his arms, grasping his chin. "Is it possible to have two of the same Personas?" He furrowed his brow at the thought. "Would that suggest we're similar..?"

The June's manager blinked. "Your's is Susano-o, too?!" He gaped, taken aback by the information.

Yusuke nodded, sitting with his back straight in his seiza. "My Persona is Kamu Susano-o and I specialize in ice as well as physical attacks. Though they share the same name, I doubt there is much in common beyond that." He eyed the other Persona user's outfit with disdain.

Futaba snickered, hugging the fox she'd come to bond with. "Inari's jealous, huh? Well, my Persona's Prometheus and I play support! I hack the levels and battles to give my team the advantage. I also map out the Palaces and keep track of Shadows' weaknesses." She bragged before hiding her face in silky orange fur, still a little shy with the new group of people.

"So," Ann clapped her hands. "My Persona's Hecate and I'm a fire user! Guess it's because I'm so hot." She preened with a smirk, flipping a ponytail.

Ryuji snorted, lightly pushing her off balance. "More like hot-headed. My Persona's Seiten Taisei and I use electric attacks." He shrugged. "I'm also pretty good with physical? Yusuke and I are the heavy hitters on the team." 

Chie covered her mouth as she snickered. "He's literally Kanji when he was fifteen. The bleached blond hair? The yankee attitude? Electric? oh my god..."

Blushing furiously at the mention of his past self, Kanji turned to glare at her. "Sh-Shut up!" He pouted as he crossed his arms. "I liked my blond hair..." 

Smiling at the new information, Haru delicately cleared her throat. "My Persona is Astarte and I'm a Psy manipulator. I'm also quite the heavy hitter with my axe." She smiled daintily. 

Sweatdropping at the heiress' penchant for violence, Makoto smiled, abit awkwardly. "My Persona is Anat and I use Nuclear attacks, with a little healing on the side." 

The Inaba residents looked at each other in confusion. "Psy? Nuclear..?" Naoto furrowed her brow. "We've...never encountered that type of power."

Morgana nodded as he sat between his leader and his mom. "Not surprising. In a town as small as this, you likely would never have seen every type of ability. Psy and Nuclear types usually stick around larger cities."

"Uhh..." They glanced around awkwardly as they heard it meow at them. It was clearly communicating just fine with the teenagers, but no one on their team could understand other than Mari and Teddie. 

Teddie nodded, "Right. Psy and Nuclear types don't come near small towns like these." 

Nodding, Airi smiled as she gently lifted Morgana and placed him into her lap. "You can't understand him, right? This is Morgana and his Persona is Mercurius. He's a wind user as well part time healer. He's also our mentor and guide in the Metaverse." She gave him a few scritches under his chin and he purred in delight, melting into a ball of cuteness as his tail whipped back and forth.

Kanji held back a squeal as he watched, fingers twitching as he resisted the urge to go over and pet him.

"My Persona's Xihe and I'm a bless skilled user. I'm also part healer. Um..." Airi bit her lip. "Sorry, I know we're doing introductions and we're not done, but Mari-san? May I ask why you were so shocked to hear I'm human?"

Mari blinked before remembering what she had said earlier. Now that everything had calmed down, she could sense the other girl for what she really was. "Oh, right. No, I can tell you're _definitely_ human now. It was just weird to be seeing someone who held the same position as me, but not the same type of being? I thought it was only for other non-humans. Not sure if that made sense since it's been so long. Though..." She furrowed her brow as she concentrated. "You're...pretty powerful. Are you sure you're _only_ human?"

She glanced over at Akira for help. "I don't know, am I? We never quite answered that question ourselves..." 

"Well," The phantom thief leader began slowly. "I've always argued that you're my goddess." He grinned even as Airi swatted his arm, grumbling over his flirting. "Lavenza assured us you're you, and that's what I believe." He cleared his throat. "So, my Persona's Satanael, but I can acquire any number of Persona so long as our hearts resonate." 

Yu raised his brows in surprise. "So we really _are_ counterparts. Did you..." He hesitated to ask. "You got it from Igor, right?" 

Akira shook his head. "No, or well..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It was supposed to be him, but Yaldabaoth imprisoned and impersonated him. I spent about eight months thinking _he_ was Igor." He grimaced at the memory of large blood shot eyes staring into his soul. "At least Justine and Caroline returned to being Lavenza and they don't beat me anymore..."

"Beat you?" Yu sputtered. "Margaret never...I guess you got a different Velvet Room assistant, huh." 

He shrugged. "I've never heard of Margaret, so I assume so. Anyway, you've probably already guessed from my Persona, but," He held out his arms at his group. "We're the Phantom Thieves."

" _Former_ Phantom Thieves." Akechi corrected sharply. "We're officially done, remember?"

Akira grinned slyly. " _Officially._ "

The Student Detective sighed, holding a hand to his face as he shook his head. "...My Personas are Robin Hood and Loki. I'm bless skilled and curse skilled." He clipped. "Before you ask, yes I have two Personas. No, I do not possess the ability to control more." 

An awkward silence pervaded the room at the short and almost rude introduction, and the Investigation Team glanced at each other with trepidation. A loud growl cut through the quiet, and they stared as both Ryuji and Chie gripped their stomachs. The police officer laughed sheepishly. "I was too nervous earlier to eat, so..." 

"Same..." Ryuji grumbled as he rubbed his abdomen. "So uh...you guys got any good grub 'round here?" 

Looking at each other, they smiled. "Why yes we do!" Teddie confirmed. "Let's go to Aiya!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I basically made Teddie into Tamaki from Ouran Host Club lol  
> -About Airi's ultimate Persona: Since I haven't revealed her ultimate in the original fic, I won't be doing that here either to avoid spoilers. Jeanne is fine as is. Once the original fic catches up to that point (which is about another month's worth of updates??? probably?) Then I'll come back to change it.  
> 2/11/18 edit- Finally edited Airi's Persona for her Ultimate!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for 100 kudos and 3.1k hits!

Exiting the sacred grounds, the two Persona groups walked down the hill and into Aiya's, the small restaurant barely being able to fit all of them. Squishing themselves into the establishment at the tables and the counter, the owner was oblivious to the awkward tension in the air. No other customers were here this early in the afternoon, leaving them to freely speak of their business.

Yu and Akira were seated as far from each other as possible. No one wanted another incident like earlier, especially in here.

"So, what would you like~?" The owner asked. His extremely thick glasses were fogged up from the steam of the kitchen, and his bushy brows, balding head, and short mustache had long gone gray since Yu first came to this town. He still never met his daughter.

Two rumbling growls was his answer and both Chie and Ryuji held a hand to their stomachs, hunching their shoulders at the bar. "Your biggest beef bowl, please!" The police officer requested loudly before turning to the ex-runner. "I don't know about you, Sakamoto-kun, but I'm a huge fan of meat!" She drooled at the thought. "Chicken, pork, and especially beef..." 

Giving her a suspicious frown, he slowly relaxed and turned to the cook as well, his hunger fueling his competitive side. "Old man, gimme one too! I ain't losin' to a cop..." 

Ann cringed, moving away from next to him. "Oh no..." She despaired quietly, shaking her head. "This is going to end up a disaster..." 

Rise smiled sheepishly and gestured her to her table that she shared with Yu and Mari. "Come over here, Ann-chan! I want to talk to you about your experience in modeling. When did you start?..." 

The blonde model moved to join her table and the two beautiful women chatted about their time at their agencies, moaning about how other models could be.

"Uh, so..." Kanji began hesitantly as he stared at his counterpart, fidgeting with his hands under the table. This was awkward. "You're...an artist?"

Yusuke inclined his head. "Yes, I'm a painter. My eyes see beauty in everything around me, prompting my artist's spirit to paint them, immortalizing them on a canvas." He idly swept his bangs out of his eyes, even as it fell back in his vision. "You are a doll maker, correct? That's quite a complicated profession to specialize in." 

Blinking, Kanji nodded. "Yeah. I started when I was a kid since we always had extra fabric, but..." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I stopped doin' it for a while 'cause I was afraid people would make fun of me. I mean, when you hear a guy makes dolls, it sounds girly, doesn't it?" 

The Kosei student shook his head. "No. Rather, it enforces an image within my mind that you are someone who is passionate about their craft, just as I am passionate about painting. There is nothing wrong in enjoying your hobbies." 

He stared at him for a moment before a grin spread on his face. "Yeah! That's exactly what I thought! Who cares about other people's opinions, right?!" 

Naoto nodded in agreement, sitting next to him. "Absolutely. As long as you enjoy what you're doing, and you aren't harming anyone, then you should do what you enjoy."

Cheeks heating up at her encouraging words, he gave her a shy smile. "Yeah...Thanks, Naoto."

"What do you want, Futaba?" Akira asked as he eyed the menu, noting it was very basic compared to the Sukiya restaurant he used to work in at Central Street. "I'll pay for you."

"Uhh..." She hugged herself as she crouched in her chair, shrugging. "I dunno. There's no curry, right? Can I just share with you guys?" 

Airi shook her head, looking at her own menu. "No curry, sorry. Even if they did have it, it probably wouldn't be as good as Leblanc's. Should we just get an extra large for all of us?" 

Morgana nodded from her lap, the owner not noticing there was a non-human in his restaurant. "Extra fried fish, please!"

"Umm..." 

They turned their heads to see Teddie and Yosuke sitting backwards in their chairs from the next table over, staring at the feline. "So, uh..." The Junes Manager scratched his head before slumping over the support. "Sorry, I can't understand a thing he's saying." 

Teddie tilted his head, his long blond hair falling over a shoulder. "Mari-chan called you "Nose's servant" earlier, and Sensei said his name is Igor from the Velvet Room...Are you like me?"

Morgana stared at him for a moment before shrugging. "I'm not sure...Even with my restored memories, I'm not powerful enough to be privy to such details. I can tell you're a netizen of the Metaverse, but you don't smell like master's powers or any of his assistant's..."

He wilted. "I see..."

Yosuke gave him a worried look. "What did he say?" 

Airi held the feline in her arms. "He said he can't tell what Teddie-san is, but he knows he's not like him..?" She looked at the Junes mascot curiously. "Teddie-san, are you...not human?"

He shook his head. "Just Teddie is fine!" He smiled weakly. "Um, no. I'm from the Metaverse like Mari-chan. We don't know if I was a Shadow who regained humanity, a god like Mari-chan, or something else..." He shrugged, wiping any sadness from his face. "It's OK though! It's much better on this side as a human since there's so many beautiful ladies around~." He smiled flirtatiously, taking a rose from nowhere and holding it out to her in one smooth action. 

It was promptly crushed in a death grip, the petals flying off the pistil. Letting the stem hit the floor, Akira stared blankly, hand now stained with plant juice.

Teddie paled at the killer intent he could see emanating from the phantom thieves' leader, rising in the air like an evil entity. 'Uwahh...! Scary!' He held his hands up in a surrender, laughing weakly. 

Raising both his brows at the glint of murder in the teenager's eyes, Yosuke let out a low whistle. "Wow...I might be going on a stretch, but I'm guessing you're a couple..." He stated slowly, putting a little distance between them as he shifted his chair away. 

Frowning, Airi took a napkin from the table dispenser and took Akira's hand with her own. Wetting it with some tea, she gently cleansed the remains of the flower from his palm. "Teddie-sa- Teddie's just being nice." She scolded. "I doubt he was really flirting with me."

Akira grumbled, letting his hand be cleaned. "That's what you said about Mishima, but look what happened with that." 

She paused, blushing at the memory. "Sh-Shut up, I didn't know!" 

Morgana shook his head as he curled up on her lap. "It's amazing how oblivious you can be when it comes to people's romantic feelings about you." 

She deadpanned, letting the hand fall from her grasp and showing her boyfriend her back. "You're saying that as if more than one person has feelings for me."

Akira pouted, reaching with his now cleaned hand to entangle his fingers with her's. "But only mine counts, right? Since you've stolen my heart, Ms. Phantom Thief."

Sighing, she curled her palm with his. She could never stay mad at him when he was so sweet. "And you've stolen mine, yes yes, we've been using those puns forever..."

Smiling at her reciprocation, he leaned in to plant a kiss on her cheek. "Only because they're still applicable, no matter what Goro says."

A camera shutter went off and they turned around to see Futaba holding her phone up, having taken a photo of them. "Saving that for the "Mom & Dad" album." She sang, sending it to the group chat.

Nine other phones in the restaurant buzzed from the new text message, and the other thieves took them out, opening the text. "Aww!" Haru cooed at the photo with Makoto next to her. "They're always so cute!"

Makoto chuckled at her own copy, putting her phone back in her pocket. "I wonder how many other photos we'll have by the end of this trip."

Akechi rolled his eyes at the photo. "I'm deleting this." 

Leaning over the table, Haru smiled as her eyes caught his screen. "Then why are you pressing the "save" option?" 

Blushing at being caught, he shoved his phone back in his pocket and held his menu up in front of his eyes, blocking his view of the two girls. "I-I did no such thing! Mind your own business, Okumura!" 

Yukiko tilted her head. "Did Sakura-chan say "Mom and Dad"?" 

Sharing a look with the heiress, Makoto gave her a small but shy smile. "We have a running joke with our group. Airi-chan mothers us a lot, and for Morgana who never had one, she's the closest thing he has. We only call Akira "dad" when they're being loving with each other."

She nodded slowly. "I see...It seems strange to be calling someone the same age as you "mom." We don't have that kind of dynamic with our group." 

Haru blinked. "But isn't Narukami-san and Mari-san a couple?"

Yukiko looked away, observing the said couple as they chatted quietly from the corner of her eye. "They are, yes...But Yu's always been too caught up in his own mind. They've been having a bit of trouble lately...Hopefully it doesn't end badly." 

"They've been together for a long time, right?" Makoto asked quietly. "If they're anything like our leader and mom, I'm sure everything will turn out fine." 

She sighed. "That's the problem, they aren't really like them at all. They don't show such loving affection out in public like Kurusu-kun and Kimisawa-chan, but..." She shook her head. "Never mind, it's not our business. So!" She smiled, a tad nervous with her counterpart. "What do you like to do? What are your hobbies? Even though you feel so familiar, I really don't know much about you, do I Niijima-chan? And how about you, Okumura-chan? Your name sounds somewhat familiar..."

"Just Makoto is fine." The strategist smiled back, slowly relaxing as they continued to chat. "I'm a black belt in Aikido, and...I really enjoy action movies..."

Haru smiled indulgently at her question. "If I remember correctly, there should be two Big Bang Burgers at the heart of Inaba. I should inquire how the sales are holding up in a smaller town like this..."

Yukiko blinked. What?

Leaning back in his seat to let the three girls talk, Akechi eyed the restaurant, beginning to feel trapped. It was just too small and crowded in here for him to be comfortable. He idly tapped the table, trying to distract himself from the ever encroaching thoughts. It was just so easy to kill them, all he needed was a gun...

He subtly shook his head, his shaggy brown hair tapping his cheeks. 'No. Stop that. You're trying to be better. Murder is bad. It's easy, but it's wrong. These are your friends. Murder is unjust, it's immoral, it's-'

"Is something wrong, Akechi-kun?" 

Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned around in his chair to face Naoto, who observed him calmly. He silently cursed himself as he plastered a smile on his face. "Not at all, Shirogane-san. I'm simply debating on whether or not to order the meat special. I hear Inaba is quite the attraction for their beef." 

She watched him for a moment before nodding. "Yes, it is. It's rather strange since we don't have any cow farms nearby, so who knows what kind of meat it really is?" She shrugged.

'Probably human meat.' He idly thought before banishing it from his mind. "That _is_ strange...Might I ask you something? Since you and your group were involved with the kidnapping cases, would you mind explaining the details to me? I'm rather intrigued by this Adachi character." 

"...It started ten years ago, when Yu recently transferred into Yasogami High School." Naoto began, weaving their tale. "There was a rumor going around about the Midnight Channel..." 

Yu observed as the two groups interacted with each other, smiling slightly as everyone seemed to get along. That was good. It didn't seem like things would come to blows. If it did, he'd have to put them in holding and no cop wanted to do that to his friends. His eyes wandered over to his counterpart, watching thoughtfully as Akira smiled softly at Airi and her smiling back. That spark in his eyes was the same as the one he saw in the mirror every day, but so much newer and stronger. He truly loved her.

His eyes strayed back to his side where Mari was leaning her elbows against the table, browsing the menu items on the walls with a bored frown. She stayed by his side for so many years, even when they started going on fewer dates as he stayed later at the station, or when he would spend hours of his free time fishing at the beach or the river. Watching the two teenagers interact so lovingly to each other, he realized his own relationship was lacking...and it was all his fault. He really had let himself go. "Mari?"

Her eyes slid to him. "Hm?"

"...Wanna go on a date soon? Maybe when these kids leave?"

She perked up in her chair, blinking in surprise. "O-Oh...OK. Yeah sure, definitely!" She gave him a small but happy smile, cheeks red with elation.

He softened at her enthusiastic reply. He really had been neglecting her. It was definitely time for him to clean up his act, and maybe his counterpart could help. Mari knew all his tricks, but perhaps some new ideas from the phantom thieves leader could help refresh his romantic side. He stole hearts, right?

"Two giant beef bowls!" 

The chef placed a large bowl of rice, beef, and eggs on the counter, struggling under the weight of the second one. All their eyes were glued to the two orders. They were as large as basketballs, the prime meat topped even higher than the rim of the bowl like a skyscraper. 

Grinning eagerly at her meal, Chie grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the dispenser and gave the ex-runner a smirk. "Ready to be beat by a cop, Sakamoto-kun?"

"Tch." Ryuji scoffed, grabbing a pair of his own chopsticks, breaking them in two. "It's Ryuji, and you're on! I ain't losin' to some old granny!"

She gaped. "Granny?!" She shouted indignantly, breaking her chopsticks with a crack. "I'll show you granny! You're on, you baby!" 

"In one corner, we have the ever lovably stupid Sakamoto Ryuji!" Futaba shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth like a boxing match announcer. "Coming in at five feet nine inches, he's an energetic runner who loves to eat until he throws up! And in the other corner, we have the chipper kung-fu enthusiast, Satonaka Chie!" She gestured to the officer. "Coming in at five feet two inches, she's a small package ready to devour anything in her path!"

The others clapped awkwardly, watching with amusement. 

"As counterparts, even their last names sound similar!" Futaba oohed, raising her hand in the air. "Are the contestants ready?!"

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji smirked, taking off his 777 jacket, showing his biceps were tense and prepared to shovel as much food in his mouth as possible. "I'm always ready for some meat in my mouth!"

Futaba coughed. "That's what she said."

"Ditto!" Chie grinned, not hearing the hacker's dig, too engrossed at the thought of sustenance. "I've beaten this challenge before, so it'll be no biggie for me!"

"If you're both ready, then..." Futaba paused dramatically, bringing her hands down. "Begin!"

At the word, the two Chariots immediately dug their chopsticks into their bowls, slinging the food into their mouths. Accustomed to hunching his back, Ryuji brought the bowl up to his face but struggled under the immense weight of his food. 

Having experienced this many times before in her life, Chie expertly grabbed the beef between her utensils and threw it into her mouth, over and over. "Havin' twrouble there, Ryuji?!" She asked with her mouth full.

"Mmmprrghh!" He replied back even as he continued eating. Not wanting to lose, he clamped the bowl in his arm and using that security, scooped rice and beef directly into his mouth at a fast pace. Now he was in the lead.

Her eyes widened and Chie almost choked. "Wh-What?! I'm not letting some kid beat me at my own game!" Now even more fired up, she took another pair of chopsticks and held it in her left hand. With twice the amount of utensils, she used both hands to shovel food, her teeth tearing into the soft and tender meat.

The restaurant was filled with the sounds of chopsticks hitting porcelain and their frantic chewing, grossing out the other Persona users. Morgana hid his eyes with his tail. "Ugh, Ryuji's in his natural element..." 

"I think I've lost my appetite..." Airi cringed at the carnage and placed her menu back in the holder. "Should we just...leave them to it?" 

Akira nodded slowly, getting up from his seat. "Yeah...That might be for the best. Wanna go check out that blacksmith? I could use a new dagger..." 

They got up from their seats and headed out of the restaurant. Their eyes following them out, the rest stood up as well and left the two Chariots as they continued their competition. 

With a gasp, Ryuji swallowed the last bite of his bowl and slammed his chopsticks against the table. "I finished! I did it!"

"Uh-uh!" Chie refuted, pointing at all the food bits that had flown out of his mouth and onto the table as she chewed. "That counts too!" 

Gaping, he quickly brushed all the scraps with his hands and launched them into his mouth. "There!"

"Nope, I finished first!" Chie sang, her bowl spotless and the counter clean of any bits of food. "You lose, junior!"

He slumped in his seat. "No way..." Bringing a hand to his mouth, he burped, scrunching up his face at the taste of stomach acid. "I think I'm gonna be sick..." Getting up from his seat, he was about to go to the bathroom to wash his hands when he noticed the empty restaurant. "Wait...Where'd everybody go?" 

Blinking, Chie looked around as well, noting the empty seats. "What! Did they leave without us?! Those jerks!" She crossed her arms angrily and stomped out of the restaurant to find them.

Shaking his head, Ryuji headed into the bathroom to wash his hands. Coming back out, he was about to leave when the owner called out to him from behind the counter. "Hey! What about the bill?"

He stopped and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh, right...Uh, how much?" He asked as he dug into his pocket for his wallet.

"That'll be ¥4500."

Gaping, he closed his mouth with a click. "What?! That's way too expensive!" He yelled indignantly. "There's no way that's just my bowl!"

"Chie-san didn't pay when she left, so you have to pay for her."

He scrunched up his face. "For real?...Dammit." He grumbled, reluctantly pulling out the cash requested. "Why's the countryside so expensive?"

The chef rolled his eyes. "Aiyaaa, if you can't afford, then why'd you order?!" 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo it's been like...almost a year since I updated this. Sorry? ;w; I just haven't found much motivation to come back to this, even though I could and should finish this. It was supposed to be a short story dammit. I hope people will still read this since it's been so long!
> 
> Anyway, I've gotten a bunch of amazing and in-depth comments on what I could include in future chapters, so I hope I've done some of those ideas justice! There's no set update schedule, but hopefully I can finish this fic this summer!

Being the first to exit the restaurant, Akira and Airi looked around the central market district. It was still early enough that there weren't many shops open, including what they concluded was Kanji's textile shop at the top of the hill, but it was nearing noon and there were a few locals walking around. "Where should we go next?" Airi asked, fiddling with her blouse cuffs. "I'm still kind of hungry and we didn't get to eat breakfast..."

Akira hummed, turning his head left and right before catching sight of a small food stand to their left. "How about there? Looks cheap." Taking her hand in his, he tugged her toward it.

It was a small food stand that advertised skewers and other side dishes, looking as if it was situated right inside a garage. It had one vending machine for drinks, showing the ever lovable Jack Frost on its decal. There weren't any chairs, just two empty crates turned upside down placed on opposite ends of a fold-out table, right next to a moss covered cement wall. The shop's worn sign showed it was named "Souzai Daigaku," and looking behind the counter, they saw only a middle aged woman working at the grill with a stained white apron. 

Morgana leaned closer and sniffed the air. "Mmm, it smells good!" He purred. "Let's get food here!"

Akira looked at the prices and took out his wallet. "¥150 for croquettes and ¥320 for steak skewers?" He read with a raised brow. "Man, I missed how cheap it is in the country."

Airi peered at it in shock. "Whoa...I've never paid so little." She breathed out before grinning. "Let's get a lot!"

"Heya!" The woman greeted them from behind the counter. "What can I get you?"

Akira pointed at the display. "4 croquettes and 2 steak skewers, please." 

"Make that 3 steak skewers, if it's not any trouble." Akechi walked up behind them with a polite smile. "I'm quite famished myself."

"Coming right up!" The woman replied, getting their orders ready. 

Buying a few drinks from the vending machine, they took a seat on the crates. Looking down at the only crate available, Akira and Akechi glared at each other and quickly sat down, shoulders pushing against one another in an attempt to knock the other off in a weird game of musical chairs. Airi watched with a sweatdrop and sighed when they tipped backwards on the crate and it flipped them off onto the ground. "Boys..." 

Jumping into her lap, Morgana shook his head at their behavior. "Honestly...Akira, just sit with mom."

Getting off the ground, Akira dusted himself off and groaned before joining his girlfriend on her crate, letting Akechi take the other. "Fine. You win this round, Goro."

"Don't call me that." Akechi replied reflexively, though it held no heat. "Why did you choose here?"

Akira shrugged. "It's right next door and it's cheap. Don't tell me you wanted to stay to watch Ryuji shovel food down his mouth." He eyed the student detective. "Why did you follow us out?"

Akechi looked away. "Am I not allowed?" He countered, before letting out a quiet sigh. "In any case, I can add this food stand to my blog. It would be interesting to try some country refreshments."

"Your food's ready!" The cook chirped, placing two places full of croquettes and skewers on top of the counter. Akira stood up to pay and placed their order on their table. The croquettes were a nice golden crisp in the shape of a ball. None of them were exactly the same, showing that they were lovingly handmade. The skewers were a juicy brown with slight blackened edges for that extra crunch of flavor. 

"Mmm..." Airi took a deep breath and her stomach growled in preparation. "It smells so good..." Taking a napkin, she used it as a protective wrap and picked up one of the croquettes, blowing on it several times before taking a small bite. She winced when the hot juices inside seared her lips and tongue, but couldn't help but relish how delicious it was and kept eating.

Raising a brow at her reaction, Akechi reached for one as well and took an experimental bite. The meat was tough, almost like biting into a rock. The outside was crunchy to the point where it stabbed at the roof of his mouth, and the flavoring held so many spices that it tasted like nothing. Grimacing, he stopped eating and gave it an incredulous look. "What is this..?" He then looked back up at Airi who was reaching for her second croquette and stared at her in disbelief.

Akira took a steak skewer and tried to tear off a piece. Tried. He ended up pulling the entire thing off the stick and chewed it up, not minding that it hurt his teeth with its rubber-like texture. "What?" He nonchalantly asked the detective, swallowing his mouthful. "Something wrong," He teased. "City boy?"

Incensed, Akechi grabbed his own skewer and winced when he bit down. Letting go with his teeth, he looked at the skewer with an off-put expression. "What is this meat..?" He asked in a whisper. "Why is the texture so...wrong?"

Slowing down on her chewing, Airi looked down at her half eaten croquette and grimaced. "I was so hungry I didn't notice, but now..." Reluctantly, she placed it back down on the plate and gave up, drinking her can of green tea to wash it down. 

Morgana looked between them and at their faces. "I guess I shouldn't be eating it either, huh..." 

"Big Bro? Oh!"

The thieves looked up to see a girl their age in a pink striped shirt and jean skirt, looking at them curiously. Her brown hair was held in low pigtails that rested on her shoulders, and her bangs were cut in a straight fringe. Her large brown eyes blinked rather doe-like, and she held a plastic bag in the crevice of her elbow. "Hello! I'm looking for Narukami Yu. He said he was going to be here."

Airi gave her a friendly smile. "He might still be in the restaurant. We left a little early."

Akira pointed his thumb at Aiya's. "You can probably catch him. Are you...his sister or something? You called him Big Bro."

The girl blushed and beamed. "Hehe, we say that but we're technically cousins. My dad, he's the head of the police force here in Inaba, is big bro's uncle. Or as he says it, 'your mother's younger brother.'" She quoted in a low voice, trying to imitate an older man, before bursting into giggles.

Airi laughed at her imitation. "Your father's in the force too? I guess it runs in the family, right Goro?" Not receiving an answer, she turned to look at him. "Goro?"

Akechi stared at the newcomer with wide eyes. His pupils were shrunken to a point where they were just small dots of black, the whites of his eyes overtaking the color. His hands were clenched, his knuckles pushing bone white against his skin. The hand holding the skewer clenched tighter and red began to drip from his palm where the wood pierced through his flesh. He didn't say a word, yet several emotions passed by on his face: surprise, then shock, wonder, disbelief, rage, sorrow, deep-seated hatred.

Akira tensed up in his seat and sat up a little straighter, all signs of humor disappearing. He saw clear signs of what could be another episode, and if it was going to happen, it was up to him to take their teammate away from any innocents and into a secluded place to ride out his emotions.

Oblivious to the look of malice, Nanako gave the student detective a friendly smile. "Oh, are you a detective? I see that badge on your jacket!"

Glancing between her pseudo brother and her boyfriend with worried glances, Airi stood up from the crate and stepped closer to the other girl, hiding Akechi from her gaze. "He used to be." She answered amicably. "He's taking a break now since he's going into University."

"Nanako?"

They all turned to see Yu and Mari standing a few feet away, the former looking surprised. "What are you doing here?" He asked. "I thought you were gonna stay with uncle today."

Nanako pouted and walked up to him to hand him the plastic bag. "You forgot your lunch!" She scolded. "You remember that I always make you lunch once a week!"

Yu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Er, right...You know, you don't have to keep doing this. I'm your big bro, I can take care of myself."

"I know that..." She looked down, her earlier brightness replaced with a gloomy frown. "But you never visit anymore. I miss when you lived with us and we would spend time together as a family. Now that both you and dad are on the force, neither of you have much time for me..."

Sighing silently, Yu brought her into a hug. "I'm sorry." He's been saying that a lot lately. "Things have been...rough. I promise, that doesn't mean I don't love you or that I don't want to spend time with you." He comforted. "You'll always be my precious little sister. I'm sure uncle feels the same."

Wrapping her arms around him, Nanako beamed. "Yeah..."

Akechi had yet to look away from the sight and unconsciously raised a hand to his chest. Why..? Why did seeing this hurt so much? How dare she, his counterpart, be so happy while he had to...

Furrowing her brow, Airi nudged Akira and jerked her head toward their other teammate. Getting the signal, Akira stood up and walked over to Akechi, nudging him to his feet. "C'mon, let's go somewhere quiet for a while." He murmured, the student detective nodding numbly in his grasp.

Holding Morgana in her arms, Airi watched them walk back to the shrine and turned to the Inaba locals. "We're going to take a look around by ourselves if that's OK." She smiled, hiding her worry for her pseudo brother. "If you see the others, can you let them know?"

Mari eyed the two thieves that were walking away without a word and slowly nodded. "Sure."

Smiling thankfully, Airi waved before following after her teammates, her smile dropping immediately after. Why had Akechi reacted like that? 

 

* * *

 

Leaving the restaurant as a group, Rise turned to them with a big smile. "Well, we didn't get to eat anything, but there's a lot to do! Where should we go first?"

Ann clapped her hands. "Can we visit your tofu shop? I've read that you come back here often to help your grandma. It's a nice day for some soy milk!"

Yusuke pursed his lips and turned toward the right. "I would like to visit the blacksmith instead. I saw some interesting weapons inside that deserves to be etched on paper."

Makoto grasped her chin. "I want to check out the bookstore. Maybe there are some books that are only available here and not in Tokyo."

Naoto sighed and smiled. "Perhaps we should split up? One of us will pair up with you kids and show you around to where you want to go. That way, we're all happy, and no one has to go anywhere they don't want to."

Yosuke laced his hands behind his head and smiled leisurely. "Works with me. Hey, if you guys are interested, we can go hang out at June's. We've got lots of stuff there and our own food court."

Haru smiled. "Sure. Do you have a floral section? I'd like to see what kind of plants grow around Inaba." She looked up at the clear blue sky. "I remember it's supposed to rain a lot in this region, but the sun is shining so beautifully today."

"That's because of me."

They turned to see Mari walk up to them, followed by Yu and a brown haired girl. "I have a little control over the land here," Mari explained confidently. "So whatever weather you want, I can make it happen. It was supposed to rain today but I made sure it stayed sunny."

Futaba looked out from behind Makoto and squinted at the goddess. "How does that work exactly?" She interrogated. "It can't be cognition based, and wouldn't changing the weather patterns in this place affect the ecosystem? Can you make it summer when it's winter? Hail on a hot day?"

Scrunching up her face, Mari crossed her arms and huffed. "I don't have that much power. I'm connected to the land in a way, so I have a modicum of control. That's it."

The hacker still looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but Kanji butt in. "Well uh, if any of you are interested in textiles and dolls, I'll be opening my shop later." He pointed up the hill near the shrine. "I'll be holdin' a doll making class later in the day if you want to join..?" He offered slightly hesitantly.

Ann oohed. "That's so cute! Let's all go check it out later!"

The group murmured their agreements and headed their separate ways, Rise showing Ann to her tofu shop, Yosuke showing Haru and Futaba to June's, Kanji taking Yusuke to the blacksmith, and Yukiko taking Makoto to the bookstore. 

A thought came to her and Makoto paused to eye the area. "...Where did they go?" She murmured. She hadn't seen Akira, Airi, Morgana, or even Akechi since they left the restaurant a few minutes earlier.

"Makoto-chan?" Yukiko called out for her inquisitively. "Do you still want to visit the bookstore?"

After a moment, the strategist nodded and walked in pace with the older woman. "I'm coming. Thank you for showing me around, Yukiko-senpai."

Blinking, Yukiko covered her mouth and laughed. "'Senpai'? I don't think that's necessary. Even though we've only known each other for a day, it seems like I've known you forever." She gave the younger girl a smile. "You can just call me Yukiko."

Makoto shook her head, her hair fluttering around her cheeks. "No, it's only right. You had experienced the Metaverse much earlier than me, and you have seniority. I would like to look up to you as my mentor, if that's all right." She smiled shyly. "How was your first experience going in?"

"Well..." Yukiko sighed and began her tale. "I wasn't very happy being stuck in a small town..."

 

* * *

 

Grunting, Akira struggled to hold the other in his grasp. "Calm down..!" He gritted through his teeth, tightening his arms around his former nemesis and dragging him deeper into the shrinegrounds. It was better to bring him to a quiet place, but it was difficult when he was fighting every step of the way. 

Akechi thrashed around, trying to escape. "She...She can't be my counterpart..!" He hyperventilated, eyes wide and unseeing, only registering the need to escape. "Someone like her..!"

Letting the feline fall to the ground, Airi walked up to them and held Akechi's face in her hands, forcing him to look her in the eye. "It's all right, Goro." She spoke softly and quietly. "Take a couple deep breaths...Just focus on us."

Trying to do as she said, Akechi took a few breaths, some too sharp and fast. "I..." He clenched his eyes shut, brows furrowed in grief. "I..."

Darting to the steps of the shrine building, Morgana turned back to them. "Bring him here." He instructed quietly. "The incense will help."

Nodding, Akira hung one arm over his shoulders and half carried the other thief to the steps, gently letting him sit. Plopping down onto the stairs, Akechi immediately curled up and hid his face in his knees, his hands clenching his pant legs. 

Airi took a seat next to him and gasped when she saw one of his hands had a large cut, still oozing blood. "Goro, you're injured..!" Digging into her bag, she pulled out a half-used tube of Recov-R gel and carefully took his hand in his. He let her do so without a fight, not even wincing when the cool gel stung the cut and knitted his skin together.

Looking down at him, Akira let out a quiet sigh and sat down on his other side. "...What's wrong?" He murmured. "What got you?"

"...She's so happy." Akechi whispered, lifting his head to rest his chin on his arms. He stared at the ground with dead eyes, exhaustion and guilt weighing down on him. "She hugged him, and he told her he loved her. Would always love her. That her father loves her..."

Frowning sympathetically, Airi lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. "She...had a different life." She whispered. "I doubt it was perfect..."

"...But it was better than mine, that is assured." Akechi whispered bitterly. "To think, my counterpart would be this happy girl who's loved by her family."

"We love you too." Akira butt in, bumping shoulders with the detective. "You're an idiot, and you're an asshole, but you're one of us."

Airi brightened and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're family. It's been hard, and we still have a lot to work on, but we love you, Goro."

Licking a paw, Morgana sighed and jumped up on the student detective's shoulders, using it as a perch. Tip toeing closer, he rubbed his head against his brown locks. "Use that intelligent brain of yours and listen to them."

Akechi stayed silent, but the dead look in his eyes receded a little, just enough to reassure them that he was still with them.

It was enough for now.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts, likes, dislikes? Let me know in the comments!


End file.
